He looked at me with sad little discouraged eyes,
His next words caught me a little by surprise,
"I want t come to church," he boldly declared,
"Nobody will bring me," sadly he despaired,
I looked intently at his saddened youthful face,
Thinking inside what a shameful tragic disgrace,
Here stood a little one hungry and eager to learn,
His family ignores him and his desires spurned,
How many other little ones feel exactly the same,
Desiring to learn Bible truth about Jesus' name,
Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto Me,"
Often neglected by families - how could it be,
Some children pushed aside by selfish adults,
Some parents oppressed by Spirits of occults,
Some grown ups still wounded children inside,
With sin trying all their hurts and shame to hide,
Still the little children suffer neglect and abuse,
Getting damaged and tossed aside like some refuse,
Unloved, unwanted and a nuisance they may feel,
Satan wanting their souls to destroy, kill and steal,
O but Jesus is a victor who loves girls and boys,
Who died to purchase their pardon bringing joys,
So we the church have much work still left to do,
To reach and love children just like me and you,
Open hearts to serve those precious little lambs,
Introduce them to Jesus who is the GREAT I AM.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Jesus Is More Precious To Me
My phone rang and the number showed as a California number. I was in the middle of studying for the message tonight and did not answer. I asked myself, "Do I know anyone in California?" I could not think of a single person.
I finished my studies and listened to a voicemail left by the caller from California. The man sounded a little shaky and informed that he was a believer from L.A. temporarily in the area. He was battling a lot and needed a pastor to talk to. That was it.
I returned the call. I had no idea what a blessing that conversation would turn out to be for me. I introduced myself over the phone and learned his name. He told me a little of his situation. Further probing and I got the rest of the story.
Wayne told me he grew up in a home with a New Age father and Jewish mother and sisters. At age eight his father began sexually abusing him. He used his New Age religious beliefs to justify the abuse This lasted for six years. In response to the abuse Wayne embraced the homosexual lifestyle. He started entertaining those thoughts at age eight. He told me if his father had not abused him he would have ended up normal in his words. He eventually ended up in L.A. He said people in L.A. like to party. He settled into a life of work and homosexual relationship with his partner.
I gathered from his story he lived as a homosexual for nearly 30 years. He saw many friends die of AIDS. None of that changed his lifestyle. Jesus did. Jesus got hold of him. At one time he had 150 homosexual friends. They all turned against him because of Jesus but he said it was worth it.
One year ago he told me God revealed himself to Wayne in his living room. I don't know how. He just told me God made Himself real and he was saved and delivered from the homosexual lifestyle. He got connected to a new church reaching out to homosexuals and trusting God to save and deliver them. Over the past year John has witnessed to countless people sharing his story. Homosexual activists hate him he reported. Some of his former friends are already dead from AIDS. He told me homosexuals die a horrible death.
The purpose for his trip was to visit his family before he dies to witness to them. They rejected him. Even in his weakened condition, going from 240 lbs to 119 lbs today, they refused to listen to him. They preferred their homosexual son and brother than the new man in Jesus. They said he could reject Jesus and they would take him in or if not they'd throw him out. Wayne told me, "Jesus is too precious to me to give into my family's demands." They threw him out on the streets. He hitchhiked to our town. He needed help and someone to talk to and googled Baptist churches. Our church was the first one that showed up. A divine appointment.
I made arrangements to get him help and talked to him for a long while. He knows he only has a few months to live at best. He already has turned his thoughts toward eternity with Jesus. In what little time he has left he wants to share his faith, especially with homosexual people. He wants to show them a way out.
Wayne told me for the longest time he did not feel like a real person. He felt numb. The day he got saved and embraced the truth of God's love he reported he felt real. He felt alive.
It will take him three days to get back to his home and near his new found brothers and sisters in Christ. Those people are his family now. One of the last things he told me is, "If Jesus can deliver me He can reach and deliver anyone." What a testimony. Thank you Jesus for letting me be encouraged by Wayne today.
I finished my studies and listened to a voicemail left by the caller from California. The man sounded a little shaky and informed that he was a believer from L.A. temporarily in the area. He was battling a lot and needed a pastor to talk to. That was it.
I returned the call. I had no idea what a blessing that conversation would turn out to be for me. I introduced myself over the phone and learned his name. He told me a little of his situation. Further probing and I got the rest of the story.
Wayne told me he grew up in a home with a New Age father and Jewish mother and sisters. At age eight his father began sexually abusing him. He used his New Age religious beliefs to justify the abuse This lasted for six years. In response to the abuse Wayne embraced the homosexual lifestyle. He started entertaining those thoughts at age eight. He told me if his father had not abused him he would have ended up normal in his words. He eventually ended up in L.A. He said people in L.A. like to party. He settled into a life of work and homosexual relationship with his partner.
I gathered from his story he lived as a homosexual for nearly 30 years. He saw many friends die of AIDS. None of that changed his lifestyle. Jesus did. Jesus got hold of him. At one time he had 150 homosexual friends. They all turned against him because of Jesus but he said it was worth it.
One year ago he told me God revealed himself to Wayne in his living room. I don't know how. He just told me God made Himself real and he was saved and delivered from the homosexual lifestyle. He got connected to a new church reaching out to homosexuals and trusting God to save and deliver them. Over the past year John has witnessed to countless people sharing his story. Homosexual activists hate him he reported. Some of his former friends are already dead from AIDS. He told me homosexuals die a horrible death.
The purpose for his trip was to visit his family before he dies to witness to them. They rejected him. Even in his weakened condition, going from 240 lbs to 119 lbs today, they refused to listen to him. They preferred their homosexual son and brother than the new man in Jesus. They said he could reject Jesus and they would take him in or if not they'd throw him out. Wayne told me, "Jesus is too precious to me to give into my family's demands." They threw him out on the streets. He hitchhiked to our town. He needed help and someone to talk to and googled Baptist churches. Our church was the first one that showed up. A divine appointment.
I made arrangements to get him help and talked to him for a long while. He knows he only has a few months to live at best. He already has turned his thoughts toward eternity with Jesus. In what little time he has left he wants to share his faith, especially with homosexual people. He wants to show them a way out.
Wayne told me for the longest time he did not feel like a real person. He felt numb. The day he got saved and embraced the truth of God's love he reported he felt real. He felt alive.
It will take him three days to get back to his home and near his new found brothers and sisters in Christ. Those people are his family now. One of the last things he told me is, "If Jesus can deliver me He can reach and deliver anyone." What a testimony. Thank you Jesus for letting me be encouraged by Wayne today.
The Day Of Trouble
Days of trouble come for everyone. The righteous and the unrighteous. The rich and the poor. The famous and the obscure. Nobody is immune. At some point we are all bound to have days of trouble.
Days of trouble come in different shapes. For one person it might mean the diagnosis of a terminal illness for themselves or a close family member. Either way this is a hard road. It is hard for the critically ill because their day of trouble turns into more like days of trouble. A routine of doctor visits, treatments and continually not feeling well follow. It is also difficult for the caregiver. They give and give. They serve the ill slowly watching their health and vitality ebb away. It is draining.
Days of trouble for others mean trying to find employment. In a competitive marketplace where there are so many qualified candidates it is harder to get your foot in the door. Maybe you are one of those who has been turned down time and again for jobs you thought you were qualified for. Resumes, job applications interviews have not brought you any closer to employment. Added to this is the mounting financial strain. You are exasperated.
The day of trouble might look like a job reassignment you did not ask for nor want. Supervisors made such reassignments numb to your thoughts and feelings. You need work so you go along in a position you feel ill fitted for. You try to make the best of a bad situation but the truth is you are miserable. Work that once brought you a sense of fulfillment now only brings drudgery daily.
How many feel trapped in loveless marriages. Or worse feel betrayed by the one who covenanted with you before God to stay "until death do we part." You are left with a hole in your heart and a mind full of memories. You have wept until you have no more tears to cry. The life and joy have been sucked right out of you. You still have responsibilities but find yourself going through the motions.
Maybe you are in such poverty you see no way out. You fight starvation. You shuffle through life aimlessly hollow eyed because there is not enough food. What others throw away after a meal you would consider a gourmet meal. Nobody notices. Nobody seems to care. Here in the land of plenty you cannot find enough food. You are always hungry and worse yet so are your loved ones. You are willing to work but nobody will hire you. You have swallowed your pride and dignity to ask for help but many ignore you.
Your day of trouble could be a dark and clouded mind of depression. Such a deep despair hangs over you it is a struggle to find reasons to keep wanting to live. Ending it all creeps into your thoughts more frequently. It is tempting but for some reason you keep hanging on. with the flickering thought that things will get better but they never do.
Still others battle mental illness. They lose touch with reality. Psychotic episodes lead to bizarre thoughts and behavior. Loved ones stand by helplessly and at times hopelessly unable to fix the situation. Therapy and medications do not always help. This is another day of trouble.
Psalm 50:15 (NKJV)
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
The word call in this verse means to cry out and to beseech. How many of you have cried out to God until you do not have another prayer to pray. You have asked for His help. You have screamed for His intervention. Desperately you have begged, pleaded and maybe even tried to bargain for God's help.
Let me say that God is not a God who has to be bargained with. He loves people. He loves you and your loved ones even if it does not appear that way. You may ask why you have cried out for His help but He has refused. I honestly do not know the answer to that. I too have cried out for His help and intervention for years and on many occasions nothing changed. At times things actually got worse.
He invites us to call upon Him. He doesn't say how many times. So it may take more than once, twice, or dozens of times. He has His purposes. It pains me to see people suffer. I often ask God why He does not relieve their suffering. He has the power. Alas, I am not God and His ways and thoughts are much higher than mine. [Is 55:8-9] We have the choice to trust Him or doubt. When you cry out repeatedly for His help and it appears He turns a deaf ear it is hard to trust and not to lose heart.
He tells us to call out to Him in the day of trouble. The word trouble means the day of adversity, affliction, distress, tribulation and sorrow. That covers a wide range of trouble. I am certain it covers your situation today. Maybe you have such a painful situation you keep it private and have shared it with no-one. Silent suffering you endure alone. Your day of trouble feels like it will never end and you endure it alone. You receive no encouragement, no listening ear and no shoulder to cry on. You trudge through your days of trouble hopelessly.
Here is a bold truth. Either God is a promise keeper or a liar. This verse cannot be true for millions of people and yet not be true for YOU! In my estimation this is nothing short of a promise from God. Is He's a promise keeper? Can we really expect Him to fulfill the last part of this verse?
He will deliver us. That means He will rescue and save us. Waaaaaaaait a minute! Many will be quick to say God did not rescue you in the day of your trouble. There are many former followers of God who feel betrayed and abandoned by Him. Tragedies, adversities and worst case scenarios hit you so hard you lost heart and faith in a good God. You feel God let you down when you needed Him most. You resent Him for it and carry deep bitterness as an after effect.
I am not saying your feelings are not real. What has that done for you though? Are you a better, happier and a more productive person as a result of resenting God? Does your life have meaning and purpose? Do you live with hope and love others freely? Are you jaded? Guarded against others and most especially religious people? Are you a pessimist?
There are thousands of questions and feelings I've had similar to yours. Why did the little girl die of cancer when we all prayed so hard for her healing? Why did the mother die tragically when we all vacationed together? Why did my little sister have to drown at four years of age and why didn't God protect her before taking that last step in the tall grass not even seeing the water? Why did the dream I poured my heart, prayer, labor and love into crumble and shatter before my eye?. Why do I see people in chronic pain constantly and yet can find no lasting relief?
For me personally, I have decided that life trusting God is better than life not trusting Him. Days of trouble come for all. I need His rescue. I need His saving. Where else can I turn for help in days of trouble.
This one thought comforts me during days and seasons of trouble. This world is not my home. Better days are coming in eternity. One day all the trouble, adversity, distress and sorrow will be gone forever when I get to Him. That is my ultimate rescue and my greatest salvation. It is true that some people do not get rescued from their trouble down here. Cancer still kills. Sin still enslaves. Satan still steals, kills and destroys. There is an eternal rescue for the redeemed.
I have hope. Hope because, though I still have days of trouble, God has brought me through so many in the past. I recount times I saw no way out and in His time and in His ways I could have never predicted He came through. He has earned my trust. I also have hope because one day He will recuse me off this painful planet. One day I will be free from the burdens down here. I will be able to sing "Free at last, free at last, praise God Almighty I'm free at last."
So I keep trying to point other people to hope. I keep urging others to keep trusting. To keep hanging on. To keep believing and enduring. Over the years, more times than I can recount, God has rescued me. It is my joy to honor and magnify Him as a result.
Trust me. I still have my day of trouble. More now than at any other time in my life. Yet, I have hope. I believe God is a promise keeper. For me and for you. So on this day of our troubles I trust God to do what He said. To keep His word. To fulfill His promise. To be a God of integrity and honor and stand by what He said. Whether in this life or the next. Press on brothers and sisters. Press on.
Days of trouble come in different shapes. For one person it might mean the diagnosis of a terminal illness for themselves or a close family member. Either way this is a hard road. It is hard for the critically ill because their day of trouble turns into more like days of trouble. A routine of doctor visits, treatments and continually not feeling well follow. It is also difficult for the caregiver. They give and give. They serve the ill slowly watching their health and vitality ebb away. It is draining.
Days of trouble for others mean trying to find employment. In a competitive marketplace where there are so many qualified candidates it is harder to get your foot in the door. Maybe you are one of those who has been turned down time and again for jobs you thought you were qualified for. Resumes, job applications interviews have not brought you any closer to employment. Added to this is the mounting financial strain. You are exasperated.
The day of trouble might look like a job reassignment you did not ask for nor want. Supervisors made such reassignments numb to your thoughts and feelings. You need work so you go along in a position you feel ill fitted for. You try to make the best of a bad situation but the truth is you are miserable. Work that once brought you a sense of fulfillment now only brings drudgery daily.
How many feel trapped in loveless marriages. Or worse feel betrayed by the one who covenanted with you before God to stay "until death do we part." You are left with a hole in your heart and a mind full of memories. You have wept until you have no more tears to cry. The life and joy have been sucked right out of you. You still have responsibilities but find yourself going through the motions.
Maybe you are in such poverty you see no way out. You fight starvation. You shuffle through life aimlessly hollow eyed because there is not enough food. What others throw away after a meal you would consider a gourmet meal. Nobody notices. Nobody seems to care. Here in the land of plenty you cannot find enough food. You are always hungry and worse yet so are your loved ones. You are willing to work but nobody will hire you. You have swallowed your pride and dignity to ask for help but many ignore you.
Your day of trouble could be a dark and clouded mind of depression. Such a deep despair hangs over you it is a struggle to find reasons to keep wanting to live. Ending it all creeps into your thoughts more frequently. It is tempting but for some reason you keep hanging on. with the flickering thought that things will get better but they never do.
Still others battle mental illness. They lose touch with reality. Psychotic episodes lead to bizarre thoughts and behavior. Loved ones stand by helplessly and at times hopelessly unable to fix the situation. Therapy and medications do not always help. This is another day of trouble.
Psalm 50:15 (NKJV)
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
The word call in this verse means to cry out and to beseech. How many of you have cried out to God until you do not have another prayer to pray. You have asked for His help. You have screamed for His intervention. Desperately you have begged, pleaded and maybe even tried to bargain for God's help.
Let me say that God is not a God who has to be bargained with. He loves people. He loves you and your loved ones even if it does not appear that way. You may ask why you have cried out for His help but He has refused. I honestly do not know the answer to that. I too have cried out for His help and intervention for years and on many occasions nothing changed. At times things actually got worse.
He invites us to call upon Him. He doesn't say how many times. So it may take more than once, twice, or dozens of times. He has His purposes. It pains me to see people suffer. I often ask God why He does not relieve their suffering. He has the power. Alas, I am not God and His ways and thoughts are much higher than mine. [Is 55:8-9] We have the choice to trust Him or doubt. When you cry out repeatedly for His help and it appears He turns a deaf ear it is hard to trust and not to lose heart.
He tells us to call out to Him in the day of trouble. The word trouble means the day of adversity, affliction, distress, tribulation and sorrow. That covers a wide range of trouble. I am certain it covers your situation today. Maybe you have such a painful situation you keep it private and have shared it with no-one. Silent suffering you endure alone. Your day of trouble feels like it will never end and you endure it alone. You receive no encouragement, no listening ear and no shoulder to cry on. You trudge through your days of trouble hopelessly.
Here is a bold truth. Either God is a promise keeper or a liar. This verse cannot be true for millions of people and yet not be true for YOU! In my estimation this is nothing short of a promise from God. Is He's a promise keeper? Can we really expect Him to fulfill the last part of this verse?
He will deliver us. That means He will rescue and save us. Waaaaaaaait a minute! Many will be quick to say God did not rescue you in the day of your trouble. There are many former followers of God who feel betrayed and abandoned by Him. Tragedies, adversities and worst case scenarios hit you so hard you lost heart and faith in a good God. You feel God let you down when you needed Him most. You resent Him for it and carry deep bitterness as an after effect.
I am not saying your feelings are not real. What has that done for you though? Are you a better, happier and a more productive person as a result of resenting God? Does your life have meaning and purpose? Do you live with hope and love others freely? Are you jaded? Guarded against others and most especially religious people? Are you a pessimist?
There are thousands of questions and feelings I've had similar to yours. Why did the little girl die of cancer when we all prayed so hard for her healing? Why did the mother die tragically when we all vacationed together? Why did my little sister have to drown at four years of age and why didn't God protect her before taking that last step in the tall grass not even seeing the water? Why did the dream I poured my heart, prayer, labor and love into crumble and shatter before my eye?. Why do I see people in chronic pain constantly and yet can find no lasting relief?
For me personally, I have decided that life trusting God is better than life not trusting Him. Days of trouble come for all. I need His rescue. I need His saving. Where else can I turn for help in days of trouble.
This one thought comforts me during days and seasons of trouble. This world is not my home. Better days are coming in eternity. One day all the trouble, adversity, distress and sorrow will be gone forever when I get to Him. That is my ultimate rescue and my greatest salvation. It is true that some people do not get rescued from their trouble down here. Cancer still kills. Sin still enslaves. Satan still steals, kills and destroys. There is an eternal rescue for the redeemed.
I have hope. Hope because, though I still have days of trouble, God has brought me through so many in the past. I recount times I saw no way out and in His time and in His ways I could have never predicted He came through. He has earned my trust. I also have hope because one day He will recuse me off this painful planet. One day I will be free from the burdens down here. I will be able to sing "Free at last, free at last, praise God Almighty I'm free at last."
So I keep trying to point other people to hope. I keep urging others to keep trusting. To keep hanging on. To keep believing and enduring. Over the years, more times than I can recount, God has rescued me. It is my joy to honor and magnify Him as a result.
Trust me. I still have my day of trouble. More now than at any other time in my life. Yet, I have hope. I believe God is a promise keeper. For me and for you. So on this day of our troubles I trust God to do what He said. To keep His word. To fulfill His promise. To be a God of integrity and honor and stand by what He said. Whether in this life or the next. Press on brothers and sisters. Press on.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
WE Will Serve The Lord
Joshua knew his end was coming. He had a few last things he wanted to say. One of the most powerful is found in Joshua 24:15.
Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Choose whom you will serve. Select whom will get your passion, devotion, love and service. What will or whom will you devote yourself to worship? You have a choice. Each day you have a choice whom you will serve. Many choose idolatry. Things like football.
I recently had a teacher tell me, "You would be proud of your son." I asked why? She replied, "Because all he talks about is football." I looked at her sadly and commented, "That does not make me proud. I'd prefer he talked about Jesus."
Football can be an idol as well as basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball and all the rest. People bow down and worship at the shrine of BALL. It doesn't matter what kind of ball it is. They worship it. My heart warmed when last week our varsity football team broke out of the huddle to, "GLORY TO GOD!" That is something I did with some of those athletes who are now sophomores coaching them when they were youngsters. That is something promoted by our former head coach Scott Broussard. It's more than a motto. It is a choice. It's a way of living. It is a philosophy that carries well beyond the gridiron. It's the choice to glorify and serve God whether playing a sport, working in the classroom or on our jobs.
It is a choice. A choice whom we will serve. Whom we will worship in other words. Whom we will work for.
Joshua minced no words. He declared, "As for me and my house we will serve the LORD." I've read that verse numerous times. I saw something that hit me like no other time reading it. It was the two letter word we. WE will serve the Lord.
In my home Brenda and I made up our minds to serve God as teenagers. Far from perfect we have failed but not wavered in our desire to worship and serve Him. It was and is our prayer that the our boys would do the same. It is hard to call them boys. They have grown into young men. Three in college. One in high school. All old enough to make their own choices. I can't make it for them.
I constantly challenge them about having devotions. I constantly challenge them about their love for God and devotion to Him. Success for me is that Brenda and I along with our sons and their future families will serve Jesus. We desire the Edwards name, which was not a good name where I grew up, would stand for generations of Edwards people serving Jesus unashamedly.
That means much more to me than my prodigy and their families just attending worship services. I want them to actually worship. I want their lives to match their words of following Jesus. I want them to hunger for God more than for wins on the field or money in the bank. I want them to be more passionate for Jesus than anything else in their lives.
WE will serve the LORD. We together. We as a family. We as an extended family when Brenda and I have grandchildren and possibly live long enough to have great grandchildren.
Earlier this morning I noticed a picture Brenda hung over my chest. In the picture a father is sitting with his two children with an open Bible on his lap. In the background are vidid scenes from the Bible come to life. Brenda bought that for me years ago because she said it reminded her of when I used to sit down and have devotions with the boys. They are older now. They have to make their own choices. They choose to meet with God. Or they choose to neglect their time with Him. I can't do it for them anymore. I tried to model it for them. I taught them how to do it on their own. Now it their choice.
It is not enough that I pastor a church, travel the land preaching where God opens doors and write for Him and His glory. If my sons, my grandchildren and great grandchildren do not serve Jesus also I failed miserably along the way.
My declaration today is that WE will serve the Lord together as a family. We will worship. We will love Jesus. We will follow Him. We will labor for Him. We will devote ourselves to His causes. WE are in this together.
I once wrote a mission statement for the boys. What I desired for them when they grew up. Here it is. Jesus I pray you make my boys warrior poets who will give their lives to You their king and Your kingdom. May it be so Jesus. May it be so.
Wholly Follow
Joshua 14:6-14 (NKJV)
6 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: "You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea.
7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.
8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.'
10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.
11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said."
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
6 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: "You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea.
7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.
8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.'
10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.
11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said."
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
I love Caleb. He was a man with a different spirit about him. He did not go along with the majority. When ten spies and the nation of Israel doubted God to give them the promise land it was Caleb and Joshua who believed. They still had to wander in the wilderness those 40 years along with the doubters. They lived long enough to not only see the promised land but to fight to take possession of it. Caleb aged an old man. 85 years old to be exact. He sees a mountainous region he wants for his inheritance. He willingly volunteers for the challenge of taking the high ground.
I love what he said about himself contrasted with the other doubters whose hearts melted in unbelief. Caleb stated, "I wholly followed Yahweh my God." Not sometimes. Not only when the following was easy. Not partially. He emphatically stated he WHOLLY followed Yahweh his God. What does it mean to follow wholly.
It means to follow completely. It means to be obedient even when the following leads to impossible tests of faith. Caleb was one of the initial 12 spies. He crossed over with the others to see what kind of land God promised. He saw the fruit. He saw the promise of God. He wanted to obey. The others only saw the fortified cities. They only saw the challenges and their own weakness. They doubted and swayed the whole nation.
Even after that terrible incident Caleb still followed God completely. I wonder how many times he woke up during those wilderness wanderings and thought to himself, "I should be possessing the land right now. Why did those cowards doubt?"
Wholly following the LORD means to follow completely. It also means to follow to the end. So many start out well and fade in the end. Not Caleb. He boasted to Joshua when he was 85 he was still strong for war. Caleb did not let old age prohibit him. He followed God to the very end of this days.
As you and I consider our journey with God I wonder can we say we are wholly following the Lord? Do we even have the desire to wholly follow the Lord? Is that our intention? Is it our desire to completely follow God all the days of our lives? Is it our desire and intention to follow God to the very end of our lives. If not what are we doing? Just playing religious games. Just mouthing words and singing empty phrases that have no meaning like I Have Decided To Follow Jesus or I Surrender All because we have no desire to live those things out.
We need some more Calebs. We need men, women, students and children who will commit to wholly follow Jesus as best they can depending on Jesus for strength and passion to do so. We need people who will stay strong to the end of their lives and look for more and more to do for Him as opposed to looking to shirk responsibility and commitments. We need whole followers. Not part timers or half timers. We need all in kind of followers. Will you be one of them?
Old - Advanced In Years
I am getting older. To some I am not old yet. They would classify me as middle aged. I am closer to getting AARP stuff in the mail than I've ever been before. My hair is thinning. I ache in my joints. I don't like venture climbing on top of ladders as much as I used to, especially over ten feet. So much of my ministry has been spent with aging people. I've watched with great interest the way people age.
Some age and give in and up. They do not feel well. They constantly battle health issues. They get tired of fighting and battling to feel better only to have another set back and then another. Sadly some of these people sour. They become bitter, grumpy and whiny. They are not pleasant to be around. They quit living and just exist.
There are other elderly people who accept old age in stride. Our minister of music is in his early 70's and yet he is a go getter. This past week he climbed under the stage to rewire a microphone pulling himself with his arms by the boards because there was not enough room to stand up. That should have been a job for a much younger man but not for Barry. He dove in. He works hard. He has proved a great blessing to our congregation. He still has much to offer and has waited for an opportunity to serve. Many thought he was too old.
I think of several elderly men who mow their church lawn every week and have done so for as long as I can remember. Faithful men like Jimmy, Rob, John and others. Again that is a job for much younger men. Not these men. They cut the grass, edge the sidewalks, trim the hedges and keep things looking sharp around there as volunteers. They get up early and have breakfast at the local cafe. Then the get to it. Several months out of the year you will find them on Thursday mornings at the FBC Paradise, TX mowing. This is the kind of work they do in their retirement.
I think of Dr. Bob and Nancy Eckert. They are in their 80's and yet they still host a Bible study each Saturday night in their home with much younger folks. They have lived by faith and served God faithfully for decades. Dr. Eckert is very active in his community speaking truth and discipling younger men in the faith. Brenda and I were privileged to meet them and to get to know them last year.
Joe is a very good friend of mine. He is in his early 80's. He still laughs, makes jokes, serves the Lord where He can and helped me mow not long ago. It was hot that August day here in Texas. That did not stop Joe. He wanted to help. He wants to serve. He keeps living and is already making plans for his annual trip to South Texas during the winter months. He is a man who looks forward and not backwards. We enjoy lunch with Joe and his beautiful bride Jan every week after worship.
I read about another aging man this morning. It got my attention.
Joshua 13:1 (NKJV)
1 Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: "You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.
Joshua was old and advanced in years. What I love about this is God was not through with him. In America we have trained ourselves to believe that after 65 you are old. you retire and have little value. I recently met a man they forced to retire in his mid seventies. He had not intention of quitting until they forced him out. Younger men foamed at the mouth wanting to get his job. You can retire and flutter your life away with travel, golf, shopping or just trying to make ends meet from month to month on a fixed income. I BEG YOU SHOW ME WHRE THERE IS EVER RETIREMENT FROM SERVING GOD. You will not find it. You can also retire in order to make yourself fully available to God. Your retirement years could be years filled with adventures of faith and service.
Joshua was old but God was not finished with him. He still had a purpose for Him to lead Israel to possess more of the promised land. How many senior adults still have much to give the Lord. How many musicians would still love to play the old songs of faith? How many vocalists still have a song to sing? How many craftsman still have the ability to build and construct and are looking for the opportunity. For years a group of retired men known as the Baptist Builders go around help churches frame and build new facilities as volunteers. They are using their retirement years for a greater purpose. Senior adults, God is not through with you. You still have valuable gifts and talents to be leveraged for the kingdom of God. PLEASE USE THEM. WE NEED YOU.
My pastor, though retired from my home church for several years now, still preaches every Sunday. He has been the interim pastor of several congregations since his retirement. Still faithfully proclaiming God's word. My great uncle Buddy still had fire in his soul and sermons to preach even in his last days. One of my last meetings with him was a prayer meeting. He got up off his knees and jumped in the air shouting, "Hallelujah," because he felt the fire in his soul. He was in his 80's I recall.
We cannot help aging. Is is the natural order of life. We get older. Our bodies change. That does not mean we have to quit living. I recently visited a retired widower preacher friend in an assisted living place. Brother Bob loved to read and learn. He once had a library of 10,000 books. Over the years he graciously gave me several volumes. On one of our visits he told me he missed studying. He longed for Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones commentaries on the book of Romans so he could study again. It just so happened I had several volumes of that very commentary. On my next visit I brought them to Brother Bob as a gift. He noticed them in my arms immediately exclaiming, "I recognize those books!" When I left he began pouring over those books and his Bible. He is in his 80's and still is hungry to learn.
I don't care if you are old and advanced in years. If you are still here there is work for you to do. You may argue you are not physically able to do anything. Not even able to get out of the house. You can pray. I heard the story about a man homebound who devoted himself to prayer. Night and day he interceded for his community and the nation. When he died and they carried his body out of the house it was the first time he had been outside in 12 years. That faithful servant still fulfilled the purpose of God through prayer. You can do that. Some are able to do more. Much more.
Fast forward several years in Joshua's life. Read for yourself.
Joshua 23:1 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age.
If Joshua was old and advanced in years in chapter 13 he was much older and more advanced in years in chapter 23. A long time after God gave rest to Israel. I don't know how many years transpired between chapters 13 and 23. I know Joshua kept serving and possessing more promised land. Then after a long time when they had rest from their enemies God got ready to take Joshua into eternity.
The same will happen to you and me. Some are old and advanced and not prepared. They have never trusted Jesus as their Savior. They are hardened and set in their ways. When they die they will go to hell fire and suffer forever. Their lives will end tragically in eternal damnation. Others aging have served God and continue to do so. They will die and hear their God say, "Well done good and faithful servant. Well done." Which will happen for you in the end?
Some age and give in and up. They do not feel well. They constantly battle health issues. They get tired of fighting and battling to feel better only to have another set back and then another. Sadly some of these people sour. They become bitter, grumpy and whiny. They are not pleasant to be around. They quit living and just exist.
There are other elderly people who accept old age in stride. Our minister of music is in his early 70's and yet he is a go getter. This past week he climbed under the stage to rewire a microphone pulling himself with his arms by the boards because there was not enough room to stand up. That should have been a job for a much younger man but not for Barry. He dove in. He works hard. He has proved a great blessing to our congregation. He still has much to offer and has waited for an opportunity to serve. Many thought he was too old.
I think of several elderly men who mow their church lawn every week and have done so for as long as I can remember. Faithful men like Jimmy, Rob, John and others. Again that is a job for much younger men. Not these men. They cut the grass, edge the sidewalks, trim the hedges and keep things looking sharp around there as volunteers. They get up early and have breakfast at the local cafe. Then the get to it. Several months out of the year you will find them on Thursday mornings at the FBC Paradise, TX mowing. This is the kind of work they do in their retirement.
I think of Dr. Bob and Nancy Eckert. They are in their 80's and yet they still host a Bible study each Saturday night in their home with much younger folks. They have lived by faith and served God faithfully for decades. Dr. Eckert is very active in his community speaking truth and discipling younger men in the faith. Brenda and I were privileged to meet them and to get to know them last year.
Joe is a very good friend of mine. He is in his early 80's. He still laughs, makes jokes, serves the Lord where He can and helped me mow not long ago. It was hot that August day here in Texas. That did not stop Joe. He wanted to help. He wants to serve. He keeps living and is already making plans for his annual trip to South Texas during the winter months. He is a man who looks forward and not backwards. We enjoy lunch with Joe and his beautiful bride Jan every week after worship.
I read about another aging man this morning. It got my attention.
Joshua 13:1 (NKJV)
1 Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: "You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.
Joshua was old and advanced in years. What I love about this is God was not through with him. In America we have trained ourselves to believe that after 65 you are old. you retire and have little value. I recently met a man they forced to retire in his mid seventies. He had not intention of quitting until they forced him out. Younger men foamed at the mouth wanting to get his job. You can retire and flutter your life away with travel, golf, shopping or just trying to make ends meet from month to month on a fixed income. I BEG YOU SHOW ME WHRE THERE IS EVER RETIREMENT FROM SERVING GOD. You will not find it. You can also retire in order to make yourself fully available to God. Your retirement years could be years filled with adventures of faith and service.
Joshua was old but God was not finished with him. He still had a purpose for Him to lead Israel to possess more of the promised land. How many senior adults still have much to give the Lord. How many musicians would still love to play the old songs of faith? How many vocalists still have a song to sing? How many craftsman still have the ability to build and construct and are looking for the opportunity. For years a group of retired men known as the Baptist Builders go around help churches frame and build new facilities as volunteers. They are using their retirement years for a greater purpose. Senior adults, God is not through with you. You still have valuable gifts and talents to be leveraged for the kingdom of God. PLEASE USE THEM. WE NEED YOU.
My pastor, though retired from my home church for several years now, still preaches every Sunday. He has been the interim pastor of several congregations since his retirement. Still faithfully proclaiming God's word. My great uncle Buddy still had fire in his soul and sermons to preach even in his last days. One of my last meetings with him was a prayer meeting. He got up off his knees and jumped in the air shouting, "Hallelujah," because he felt the fire in his soul. He was in his 80's I recall.
We cannot help aging. Is is the natural order of life. We get older. Our bodies change. That does not mean we have to quit living. I recently visited a retired widower preacher friend in an assisted living place. Brother Bob loved to read and learn. He once had a library of 10,000 books. Over the years he graciously gave me several volumes. On one of our visits he told me he missed studying. He longed for Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones commentaries on the book of Romans so he could study again. It just so happened I had several volumes of that very commentary. On my next visit I brought them to Brother Bob as a gift. He noticed them in my arms immediately exclaiming, "I recognize those books!" When I left he began pouring over those books and his Bible. He is in his 80's and still is hungry to learn.
I don't care if you are old and advanced in years. If you are still here there is work for you to do. You may argue you are not physically able to do anything. Not even able to get out of the house. You can pray. I heard the story about a man homebound who devoted himself to prayer. Night and day he interceded for his community and the nation. When he died and they carried his body out of the house it was the first time he had been outside in 12 years. That faithful servant still fulfilled the purpose of God through prayer. You can do that. Some are able to do more. Much more.
Fast forward several years in Joshua's life. Read for yourself.
Joshua 23:1 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age.
If Joshua was old and advanced in years in chapter 13 he was much older and more advanced in years in chapter 23. A long time after God gave rest to Israel. I don't know how many years transpired between chapters 13 and 23. I know Joshua kept serving and possessing more promised land. Then after a long time when they had rest from their enemies God got ready to take Joshua into eternity.
The same will happen to you and me. Some are old and advanced and not prepared. They have never trusted Jesus as their Savior. They are hardened and set in their ways. When they die they will go to hell fire and suffer forever. Their lives will end tragically in eternal damnation. Others aging have served God and continue to do so. They will die and hear their God say, "Well done good and faithful servant. Well done." Which will happen for you in the end?
Sun Stand Still
What do you do when the odds are stacked against you? What do you when you are in the thick of the battle but time is running out before the victory is secured? That is exactly the plight Joshua and Israel found themselves in the tenth chapter of Joshua. Joshua and Israel battled, not against just one king and army but, rather five kings of the Amorites and five armies.
The odds were stacked against them for sure. God intervened. He sent large hail stones on the enemies. In fact, more people died from the hailstones than by the edge of the Israelite swords. God helped Israel that day. Yet the victory had not been secured.
At this point Joshua prayed an audacious prayer and called something into being that had never happened before and has not happened since.
Joshua 10:12-13 (NKJV)
12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
13 So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
The odds were stacked against them for sure. God intervened. He sent large hail stones on the enemies. In fact, more people died from the hailstones than by the edge of the Israelite swords. God helped Israel that day. Yet the victory had not been secured.
At this point Joshua prayed an audacious prayer and called something into being that had never happened before and has not happened since.
Joshua 10:12-13 (NKJV)
12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
13 So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
Did you catch that? Joshua spoke to the LORD. He prayed. He pleaded with God for help. Then he said, "Sun stand still." By faith he believed in something that had never been done before or since. He believed God to keep the sun up so they could finish the battle in the daylight. We learn the sun stood still and did not go down for a whole day. If I understand this it means for two whole days the sun did not set so Israel could defeat the armies of the Amorites.
Joshua talked to God. God put an audacious prayer in his heart and he believed God to do it. What is your "sun stand still" prayer today? What is that impossible thing God puts in your heart? I have so many. Let me quickly relate two of them. I am believing God to make "the sun stand still" to remove and eliminate all debt for Brenda and I personally. That means believing God to pay our house off in full, to NEVER go in debt to purchase another vehicle and to live debt free. Why you might ask? For two reasons. To see God pay off all my debt, including our house, is another way we can glorify God. We can't do that, at least not in the short term. in our ability. God can. He can command the sun to stand still.
I heard the story of God doing this very thing for a minister. One day a friend contacted him to inform the Lord wanted him to pay off the minister's house in full. Sun stand still. Just like that the minister received an unbelievable blessing. That encourages me that what God did for my brother He can also do for Brenda and I. I believe Him for it and ask for it repeatedly.
The second reason I pray and believe God for this "sun stand still" prayer is to be able to give more money to the kingdom of God. I want to give to God's causes extravagantly. I want to bless others as Brenda and I have been blessed over the years. This again glorifies God.
My second "sun stand still" prayer is to be able to reach hundreds of lost souls. Parker County where I serve is about to grow dramatically in the next decade. It already has begun. The population is expected to explode to close to 330,000 people. Just a few years ago the county population was not even 100,000. The thought of all these people coming keeps me awake at night praying. I think of all those lost souls. Parker County has several mega churches. They will not reach all those people. Even the largest churches do not even have 5,000 attenders. I serve a small congregation. Yet God has birthed a "sun stand still" prayer in me for unprecedented growth and for future building projects ALL DONE DEBT FREE. That looks impossible from my seat this morning. We still owe $109,053 on our current facility. How could a small congregation of less than 50 ever reach many of those 330,000 people and also become debt free? We cannot reach all of them but we can reach some. I devote myself to that task. I trust God has a way for us where there seems to be no way.
There you have my two "sun stand still" prayers. What about you? What is your audacious impossible prayer? Is God big enough? Is He strong enough? He is resourced enough to finance your impossible prayer? Is He wise enough to show you the way to get from where you are to where He wants you to be? CAN GOD MAKE THE SUN STAND STILL TODAY? I BELIEVE! I believe Him to show His power and might for His children to glorify His name just as He did for Joshua and Israel. So in the name of Yahweh and Jesus I declare by faith, "SUN STAND STILL," in your life and mine. Amen and amen.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Is There Any Word From The Lord?
Jeremiah was a prophet. A no nonsense proclaimer of God's word. He is also known as the weeping prophet. There is not one recorded incident of anyone repenting and returning to God in Jeremiah's ministry. Not one single person. Jeremiah could not be bought off. He stood for God and spoke for Him whether talking to common people or royalty.
On one occasion the king approached Jeremiah and asked, "Is there any word from Yahweh?" Jeremiah resided in prison for speaking words from God. While every other false prophet prophesied prosperous things for the king and for Israel Jeremiah prophesied the truth. He spoke of the coming judgment from Yahweh through the nation of Babylon.
On this day the king again approached Jeremiah and wanted to hear a word. Jeremiah did not shrink back in cowardice or tell the king what he wanted to hear to spare Jeremiah's imprisonment. No. Jeremiah boldly declared the truth.
Here is how Jeremiah responded the king's question. Jeremiah 37:17 (NKJV)
17 then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house, and said, "Is there any word from the LORD?" And Jeremiah said, "There is." Then he said, "You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon!"
Is there a word from the LORD? Does God have something on His mind? Is Yahweh still speaking? Jeremiah responded, "There is." Let that sink in. There are still words from the LORD. There are still things God speaks to the common people and as well as to world leaders if they have ears to hear.
What does God want to say to President Donald Trump? What fresh message does God want to speak to the United States of America? What does God want to say to other rulers in other nations? Do those rulers have ears to hear and do their citizens have ears to hear?
Jeremiah went on to proclaim, "You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon!" Not what King Zedekiah wanted to hear. It is the message he needed to hear.
My heart breaks that the modern church gathers and ministers to felt needs and preachers preach messages that sound more like group therapy sessions than Biblically based content. In many congregations the people flock in droves to hear what they want to hear but do not always hear what they need to hear.
There are times words from God are hard. They are convicting. They are meant to call people to salvation and backsliders to repentance. The warnings of the coming end of this age are not easy to hear. Those clear Bible predictions about the end fo this world and the great tribulation are happening right before our eyes. Does the world have ears to hear.
Do we really want truth? Do we really want words from the Yahweh? Do we want convicting truth that penetrates the mind and soul?
I don't want to preach sermons. I don't want to put together messages. I do not give "talks." I am after words from the Lord behind the pulpit God has given me and all the other places He allows me to preach for Him. I want fresh words from Him. Not something stolen from the internet. Not copied from an old book. Not something warmed up from days gone by. Something fresh God preaches to me before I preach it to people. The people gather to worship and hear words from God. No matter what that word it is my aim is to preach and teach those truths. All of it.
Several years ago I met with a search committee to be considered as pastor or their congregation. They asked many standard questions. One they asked included my views about the Bible. I told them I believed it to be divinely inspired inerrant word of God. All of it. They said they believed likewise. I chuckled in response. For I knew the hard truths in scripture I had come across over the years that few churches have ever considered. They assured me they wanted the whole truth. During my time in that church one person on that committee often laughed after a hard message and said, "We said we wanted the WHOLE truth." I think they got more than they bargained for.
God's word abounds with passages about His love, mercy, grace and compassion. Likewise, God's word abounds with warnings, calls to repentance, Yahweh's judgment and the consequences of sin and rebellion. Does the modern church want to hear that?
There is one time when you are guaranteed to have non followers of Jesus in a house of worship. At a funeral. Over and over again I've heard preachers soft pedal the gospel and truth at funerals knowing unbelievers are present. How can preachers not clearly present the gospel and consequences for not turning to Jesus? It happens more than you think.
Many years ago I got asked to preach two funerals for the same family within ten days of each other. The first the father. The second a 32 year old son who died from a drug overdose. They were not churched. They filled the funeral home chapel with devilish music from groups like AC/DC. They had well over a dozen songs to be played. The funeral director limited to just a few. I had a choice to make. Preach the truth or tell the people what they wanted to hear. I preached the truth. Those people probably never darkened the door of a sanctuary after that. I knew I had one shot to clearly present the gospel and consequences of a life of rebellion against God and His law.
Is there a word form the Lord? Does God still have messages He wants to preach. I believe absolutely. I listen to lots of such messages from people long ago departed for eternity. Those words from the Lord feed my soul. Recently I shifted from listening to those old timers to some more modern preachers. It sickened me. Little Bible content. Little passion. Little fire. I could not even stomach to finish them and I tried nearly half a dozen different messages. They all sounded canned. Rehearsed. Alike. I returned to the old timers and found what my heart desired. Words from the Lord. You can check them out too at www.sermonindex.net. May the Lord continue to give us fresh words for our day.
Sweet Sweet Spirit
They started showing up thirty minutes early. For the next half hour they drifted into our home from near and far. We opened our home to host a prayer meeting. When all was said and done we had over 20 people present. When most of them arrived we did what we set out to do. We devoted ourselves to prayer. We didn't talk about prayer. We just prayed and how sweet the sound of those petitions.
So many came Turner thought we would run out of chairs. We had our dining room chairs, folding chairs from the garage in addition to our living room furniture. During our praying I thought about a passage in Acts. Another prayer meeting from history.
Acts 1:13-14 (NKJV)
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
That is what it felt like to have so many gathered in our home for prayer. Beautiful supplications were lifted. Tears were shed. Adoration and thanksgiving were expressed. Earnest pleas for God's help were petitioned. I don't know how long we prayed. Time did not matter.
At the end we concluded our time by singing, "There's a sweet sweet spirit in this place. And I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord. There are sweet expressions on each face. And I know that it's the presence of the Lord. Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet Heavenly Dove, You're right here with us filling us with Your love. And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise; without a doubt we'll know that we have been revived when we shall leave this place." - Doris Akers
We followed our praying with some fellowship. Brenda made savory food as she is prone to do. I saw people gathered in little pockets all around the living room and table. Sweet fellowship. I tried to make my way to each little group to spend some time with our guests. It was a blessing to have all th0se people we love in our home. Not just for fellowship. The highlight of the evening was our praying.
To all those who came thank you for your support and the bond you shared by our praying together. If you were unable to attend not to worry. We will gather again in a couple of weeks at another home. I look forward to that gathering and believe a sweet sweet spirit will also be in that home.
So many came Turner thought we would run out of chairs. We had our dining room chairs, folding chairs from the garage in addition to our living room furniture. During our praying I thought about a passage in Acts. Another prayer meeting from history.
Acts 1:13-14 (NKJV)
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
That is what it felt like to have so many gathered in our home for prayer. Beautiful supplications were lifted. Tears were shed. Adoration and thanksgiving were expressed. Earnest pleas for God's help were petitioned. I don't know how long we prayed. Time did not matter.
At the end we concluded our time by singing, "There's a sweet sweet spirit in this place. And I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord. There are sweet expressions on each face. And I know that it's the presence of the Lord. Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet Heavenly Dove, You're right here with us filling us with Your love. And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise; without a doubt we'll know that we have been revived when we shall leave this place." - Doris Akers
We followed our praying with some fellowship. Brenda made savory food as she is prone to do. I saw people gathered in little pockets all around the living room and table. Sweet fellowship. I tried to make my way to each little group to spend some time with our guests. It was a blessing to have all th0se people we love in our home. Not just for fellowship. The highlight of the evening was our praying.
To all those who came thank you for your support and the bond you shared by our praying together. If you were unable to attend not to worry. We will gather again in a couple of weeks at another home. I look forward to that gathering and believe a sweet sweet spirit will also be in that home.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Unexpected Bumps
Life is filled with unexpected bumps. Things you didn't see coming. It happens to us all. One day you are cruising through life down smooth highways and suddenly a bump, a pothole, or an obstacle appears without warning. These unexpected bumps are inconvenient at the least and downright destructive at the worst.
Unexpected bumps like cancer, Alzheimers, divorce, betrayal, robbery, getting fired from a job, a fender bender, a broken appliance, strife in the home and the list could go on and on. When driving a car an unexpected bump can cause your front end to get out of alignment. This will cause the car to veer toward one side. As you compensate for this you steering the wheel in the opposite direction you put extra wear and tear on your tires. If not corrected it can destroy tires prematurely. You are still able to drive. Yet if neglected the issue will cause further damage.
Unexpected bumps can cause us to get out of alignment too. Out of alignment in our communion with God. Out of alignment with faith. Out of alignment with other people. It did for me. I hit a couple of unexpected bumps in the road this week. Nothing life altering. Just a couple of unforeseen bumps. Add to this a very busy few days putting in extra hours. On top of that add some fatigue and for extra measure some stress to top it off. All of it combined on top of the bumps in the road caused me to get out of alignment with myLord Jesus and my wife.
A quiet breakfast alone in prayer in a little hidden spot proved the perfect remedy. Some repentance, and apology got me back on track. Back in alignment. Back on course.
Has an unexpected bump in the road caused you to get out of alignment? An unexpected illness. An unforeseen financial set back. More demands at work. A fast and furious schedule with little down time to be still and know God. Are the effects of your misalignment impacting those around you? Does your attitude reflect a misalignment? Does the unexpected bump in the road feel more like a canyon due to fatigue and lack of devotions with Yahweh?
It happens. I don't know why we allow ourselves to get lulled to sleep into life without bumps. We get into a season like that and we forget bumps are inevitable. In the past three weeks here are just a few of our bumps. Three out of our four sons and to have their cell phones sent in for repairs in rapid fire succession. Twice we've had to make repairs on vehicles totaling over $700 unexpectedly. A family member had to go the ER. They were released and doing well now. There are other things I am not able to write about at this time. Nothing earth shattering. Just a bunch of little bumps. Little challenges. Little irritations. The cumulative effect on me caused me to get out of alignment for part of one evening and part of an early morning. Repentance got me back on track.
Yet I fool myself forgetting these things are part of life. I get used to a predictable routine and familiar path and when the bumps appear unexpectedly they often reveal the truth of my character. That I can doubt just as much as I can believe. I can lose heart just as easily as I can bravely endure. I can question why just as easily as I can question, "God, what are you trying to teach me and build in me?"
Jesus made it plain. He did not mince words. It is simple. A truth statement about unexpected bumps in the road and how to deal with them. How easily I forget what He said.
John 16:33 (NKJV)
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Unexpected bumps like cancer, Alzheimers, divorce, betrayal, robbery, getting fired from a job, a fender bender, a broken appliance, strife in the home and the list could go on and on. When driving a car an unexpected bump can cause your front end to get out of alignment. This will cause the car to veer toward one side. As you compensate for this you steering the wheel in the opposite direction you put extra wear and tear on your tires. If not corrected it can destroy tires prematurely. You are still able to drive. Yet if neglected the issue will cause further damage.
Unexpected bumps can cause us to get out of alignment too. Out of alignment in our communion with God. Out of alignment with faith. Out of alignment with other people. It did for me. I hit a couple of unexpected bumps in the road this week. Nothing life altering. Just a couple of unforeseen bumps. Add to this a very busy few days putting in extra hours. On top of that add some fatigue and for extra measure some stress to top it off. All of it combined on top of the bumps in the road caused me to get out of alignment with myLord Jesus and my wife.
A quiet breakfast alone in prayer in a little hidden spot proved the perfect remedy. Some repentance, and apology got me back on track. Back in alignment. Back on course.
Has an unexpected bump in the road caused you to get out of alignment? An unexpected illness. An unforeseen financial set back. More demands at work. A fast and furious schedule with little down time to be still and know God. Are the effects of your misalignment impacting those around you? Does your attitude reflect a misalignment? Does the unexpected bump in the road feel more like a canyon due to fatigue and lack of devotions with Yahweh?
It happens. I don't know why we allow ourselves to get lulled to sleep into life without bumps. We get into a season like that and we forget bumps are inevitable. In the past three weeks here are just a few of our bumps. Three out of our four sons and to have their cell phones sent in for repairs in rapid fire succession. Twice we've had to make repairs on vehicles totaling over $700 unexpectedly. A family member had to go the ER. They were released and doing well now. There are other things I am not able to write about at this time. Nothing earth shattering. Just a bunch of little bumps. Little challenges. Little irritations. The cumulative effect on me caused me to get out of alignment for part of one evening and part of an early morning. Repentance got me back on track.
Yet I fool myself forgetting these things are part of life. I get used to a predictable routine and familiar path and when the bumps appear unexpectedly they often reveal the truth of my character. That I can doubt just as much as I can believe. I can lose heart just as easily as I can bravely endure. I can question why just as easily as I can question, "God, what are you trying to teach me and build in me?"
Jesus made it plain. He did not mince words. It is simple. A truth statement about unexpected bumps in the road and how to deal with them. How easily I forget what He said.
John 16:33 (NKJV)
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
It's really simple. Look to Jesus and trust Him to maintain peace even when unexpected bumps come. Look at circumstances and tribulation like bumps and we will lose heart. We are to be of food cheer, or to put that another way, be of good courage. To bravely face the bumps. To NOT get misaligned. Perhaps today this is a reminder you need a front end alignment in faith and attitude.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
What Are These Stones?
Joshua 4:21-23 (NKJV)
21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?'
22 then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land';
23 for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,
God moved in marvelous fashion as Israel transitioned into the Promise Land crossing the Jordan river at flood stage. The priests stepped into the flooded water with the ark of the covenant and the waters stopped much like at the Red Sea. Israel crossed over and once the priests stepped out the waters overflowed the banks again.
God commanded that a memorial should be set up. Stones to remind people of what God did that day. A visual reminder to be passed down to the children. Stories of faith were passed down orally. They still need to be today.
Do you have anything that memorializes what God has done for you and your family? Something that your children and grandchildren could ask, "What are these stones?" A visual reminder of a time God came through. These are important to inspire future generations and to remind us of how powerful God is.
We have two such things. A picture and a truck. I've told this story many times about the picture. I will only share it briefly here. Brenda and were praying about buying our first house. When we settled on one we trusted God for downpayment money. A college girl, who attended a Bible study I taught, went to the house we wanted and drew a charcoal picture of the house. She outlined the whole picture with the 37th chapter of Psalms highlighting verse four under the house. We hung that picture on the mantle above the fireplace in that home. It is a reminder of how powerful God is no matter the odds.
I have likewise told the story about my miracle truck. How God used two people to provide for me to get that miracle truck. It has 232, 000 miles on it now. Tucker drives it at college until he gets his own vehicle. Each time he gets behind the wheel I hope is reminded that what God did for me He can and will do for Him too. That truck is another reminder of how powerful God has been for my family.
What is it for you? Some visual reminder you can point your children and grandchildren to to remind them how strong and mighty God is. Each generation has to discover this for themselves but it is good for them to be inspired by what God has done in the past.
George Mueller had orphans and orphanages to point people to. John Wesley left the Methodist church and revival all over England. Francis Asbury left multiple churches in America. Evan Roberts could point people to the Wales Revival in 1905 that swept a nation. Jim Cymbala can point people to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church. Maybe you can point to a miracle child, a verse hanging on a wall that means much to you or a priceless heirloom handed down to you as a symbol of your parents' or grandparents' faith. We need memorials so we do not forget the power of God in the past and for the future.
We all need reminders. The Jordan like obstacles are all around us. It is good to be reminded of what God did in the past as you face the battles in anticipations of what God will do today. What are those stones? They are faith vitamins to keep us believing even when the Jordan has overflowed its banks.
21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?'
22 then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land';
23 for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,
God moved in marvelous fashion as Israel transitioned into the Promise Land crossing the Jordan river at flood stage. The priests stepped into the flooded water with the ark of the covenant and the waters stopped much like at the Red Sea. Israel crossed over and once the priests stepped out the waters overflowed the banks again.
God commanded that a memorial should be set up. Stones to remind people of what God did that day. A visual reminder to be passed down to the children. Stories of faith were passed down orally. They still need to be today.
Do you have anything that memorializes what God has done for you and your family? Something that your children and grandchildren could ask, "What are these stones?" A visual reminder of a time God came through. These are important to inspire future generations and to remind us of how powerful God is.
We have two such things. A picture and a truck. I've told this story many times about the picture. I will only share it briefly here. Brenda and were praying about buying our first house. When we settled on one we trusted God for downpayment money. A college girl, who attended a Bible study I taught, went to the house we wanted and drew a charcoal picture of the house. She outlined the whole picture with the 37th chapter of Psalms highlighting verse four under the house. We hung that picture on the mantle above the fireplace in that home. It is a reminder of how powerful God is no matter the odds.
I have likewise told the story about my miracle truck. How God used two people to provide for me to get that miracle truck. It has 232, 000 miles on it now. Tucker drives it at college until he gets his own vehicle. Each time he gets behind the wheel I hope is reminded that what God did for me He can and will do for Him too. That truck is another reminder of how powerful God has been for my family.
What is it for you? Some visual reminder you can point your children and grandchildren to to remind them how strong and mighty God is. Each generation has to discover this for themselves but it is good for them to be inspired by what God has done in the past.
George Mueller had orphans and orphanages to point people to. John Wesley left the Methodist church and revival all over England. Francis Asbury left multiple churches in America. Evan Roberts could point people to the Wales Revival in 1905 that swept a nation. Jim Cymbala can point people to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church. Maybe you can point to a miracle child, a verse hanging on a wall that means much to you or a priceless heirloom handed down to you as a symbol of your parents' or grandparents' faith. We need memorials so we do not forget the power of God in the past and for the future.
We all need reminders. The Jordan like obstacles are all around us. It is good to be reminded of what God did in the past as you face the battles in anticipations of what God will do today. What are those stones? They are faith vitamins to keep us believing even when the Jordan has overflowed its banks.
Don't Grow Weary
2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NKJV)
13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
Do you ever grow weary in doing good? Cooking and cleaning for unappreciative family members? Doing your best and working overtime for your employer without thanks or adequate compensation? Do you ever grow weary of all you do around your church to the point you begrudge others not helping to shoulder the load with you? Do you weary of inviting family and friends to faith in Jesus and continually getting rejected? Do you grow tired of praying and trying to get ahead but ending up against a brick wall time after time? Are you exhausted from trying to complete your education, hold down a job and raise kids as a single parent? Are you spent from trying to keep peace among warring people? Do you ever weary of constantly giving of yourself and money but not having enough for your own needs at the end of the day? Are you tired of turning the other cheek to rude, overbearing, insensitive bullies?
There is a football team in Texas that has lost 77 straight games. Think about it. That is nearly eight full seasons of losing. Seven straight years without one single win. The previous year only three wins. Can you imagine what that does to the morale of coaches, athletes and fans? Let's just say it is not good. Think of all those athletes who ran, lifted weights, did agility drills and prepared themselves for the goal of winning. They came and went through their entire careers without achieving that goal. How discouraged must they have been and their coaches. During the losing streak the team has gone through more than one coach. Coaches tried and failed. How discouraged must they have felt each Friday night.
You know what I love about this story. They still practice. If they lose 6 more games they will hold the national record for the longest losing streak. Sure those young men and coaches think about that. They also think about the day they finally win a game. Th day they come out on top because they did not quit. The day they are the victors because they overcame adversity. So they practice. They do not give into the belief of what is the use practicing if they just keep losing. They believe some Friday night this season or the next or the following one they will win a game. Here is to hoping the Eagles get that victory in this upcoming season.
Are you tired of enduring a loveless marriage? Don't grow weary in doing good. Are you tired of serving the Lord what appears to be in vain? Do not grow weary in doing good. Are you tired of teaching unruly apathetic students? Do not grow weary in doing good. Are you fed up with preaching to a bunch of lifeless pew dwellers? Do not grow weary in doing good. Are you tired of trying to shape and mold your children to follow Jesus but they don't listen? Do not grow wary in doing good. Are you tired of working at your dead end job while pursuing a dream? Do not grow weary in doing good.
Stay the course. Trust God another day. Fight through the temptation to give up. Persevere through the adversity. Plod ahead one step at a time and one day at a time. Study hard for that next test. Do your best work for your employer even if they do not notice. God notices. Give your best effort at practice even if everyone else slacks off.
Do good. Do good for your Jesus. Do good for your family. Do good for your friends. Do good for those who can't do anything for you in return.
Don't give up. Don't let your mind and thoughts tempt you to surrender. Keep grinding. Keep battling. One more day at the gym. One more rep. One more school assignment. One more load of laundry. One more meal to cook. One more day at the office. One more day welding in the heat. One more day turning wrenches. One more night shift. This is the way life is both done and won. We keep pushing forward. We keep laboring. We keep trying. We keep serving. We keep blessing. We keep loving. We keep doing good.
Jesus is our strength. He helps us to endure. He empowers us to press onto victory. He takes our destructive thoughts captive. He makes us finishers and not a quitters. He helps us to the last lap of life around the last curve down the last stretch to the finish line. Doing good for Him will all be worth it when this earthly life is over. Keep doing good.
You know what I love about this story. They still practice. If they lose 6 more games they will hold the national record for the longest losing streak. Sure those young men and coaches think about that. They also think about the day they finally win a game. Th day they come out on top because they did not quit. The day they are the victors because they overcame adversity. So they practice. They do not give into the belief of what is the use practicing if they just keep losing. They believe some Friday night this season or the next or the following one they will win a game. Here is to hoping the Eagles get that victory in this upcoming season.
Are you tired of enduring a loveless marriage? Don't grow weary in doing good. Are you tired of serving the Lord what appears to be in vain? Do not grow weary in doing good. Are you tired of teaching unruly apathetic students? Do not grow weary in doing good. Are you fed up with preaching to a bunch of lifeless pew dwellers? Do not grow weary in doing good. Are you tired of trying to shape and mold your children to follow Jesus but they don't listen? Do not grow wary in doing good. Are you tired of working at your dead end job while pursuing a dream? Do not grow weary in doing good.
Stay the course. Trust God another day. Fight through the temptation to give up. Persevere through the adversity. Plod ahead one step at a time and one day at a time. Study hard for that next test. Do your best work for your employer even if they do not notice. God notices. Give your best effort at practice even if everyone else slacks off.
Do good. Do good for your Jesus. Do good for your family. Do good for your friends. Do good for those who can't do anything for you in return.
Don't give up. Don't let your mind and thoughts tempt you to surrender. Keep grinding. Keep battling. One more day at the gym. One more rep. One more school assignment. One more load of laundry. One more meal to cook. One more day at the office. One more day welding in the heat. One more day turning wrenches. One more night shift. This is the way life is both done and won. We keep pushing forward. We keep laboring. We keep trying. We keep serving. We keep blessing. We keep loving. We keep doing good.
Jesus is our strength. He helps us to endure. He empowers us to press onto victory. He takes our destructive thoughts captive. He makes us finishers and not a quitters. He helps us to the last lap of life around the last curve down the last stretch to the finish line. Doing good for Him will all be worth it when this earthly life is over. Keep doing good.
Mobile
71% of people who read these posts do so from their cell phone. Out of those, 74% do so from an I-phone. We live in a mobile society of instant communication and information. I found those statistics about this website shocking and interesting.
I seldom use my phone for such purposes. I do not enjoy reading lengthy documents on my phone. I do not enjoy typing lengthy texts or emails on my phone. We live in a society where people are glued to heir phones. Take this little challenge. The next time you go out to eat leave your cell phone hidden in your vehicle or turn it off and put it away in a pocket or purse. Then look up and look around long enough to notice how many people's noses are stuck in their phones. They can be sitting at a table with other people and yet glued to their phones ignoring the people they actually have seated around them. For such a connected world it sure appears people are disconnected.
People walk down sidewalks glued to their phones. People watch sitcoms, movies and videos right on their phone. They now use their phone for Bible reading and devotions. Yet in this era of social media and instant communication are we any more connected with people? Are relationships deeper and more committed? Are marriages stronger, families more close knit and friendships closer? People boast about the number of friends they may have or the number of followers they have.
What about real relationships? What about real live conversations? I heard a pastor say recently, "People get brave legs behind their cell phones." Meaning people say things from their phones they would never say face to face to people. Phones are used to bully, harass, intimidate and manipulate people as well as all the positive things people do on them.
In this social media world people seem more distracted. I find it offensive when you are trying to talk to someone and they are constantly on their phone. We banned phones from our dining room table so we actually talk to one another. When did we ever get the idea a text or tweet could ever substitute for real conversations? Where did we fall for the trap that facebook friends always equate to real friends? Have you ever had someone friend request you and you had no idea who they were? Those are not real friends.
Sure. I see advantages of cell phones. I often make ministry calls while driving. I called several people and invited to an upcoming ministry event driving home yesterday. I am able to call and check on sick members while driving making better use of my time. I often send prayer texts to encourage people. I can read and respond to emails while I am out of the office.
What about the dangers of cell phones? Our children have access to all sorts of evil right at their finger tips. Even the best of children are not immune from temptation to go where they should not go and see what they should not see via the technology they hold in their hands. What about how disconnected families become with everyone glued to their phones. Husbands and wives are ignored while spouses have to browse for hours on end. What about all the misunderstandings that occur because people post, comment and bully from their phones. What about little children who are taught all this mobile phone technology at a young age creating in them a desire for more and more. What will those children be like as teenagers and adults.
All of that said, not to mention, who is watching from the dark web stealing our information. Or those watching monitoring our every text, email, browse, post and phone conversation. In a land of freedom it seems we are less free and less private than ever. We are leaving digital footprints. Somebody somewhere has access to all we do on our mobile devices.
I know I know. I am old fashioned. Behind the times. A relic. Too old and too set in my ways. I would still rather read an old fashioned book than use an I-pad or Kindle or phone. I prefer to read my leather bound Bible. I do not even have a Bible app on my phone. I still like real conversations with real friends. I still like to give people my undivided attention when they are talking to me ignoring phone calls or texts. I still like visiting people in their homes where I get to know them. I prefer cold fashioned paper calendars. I'm not synced from my cel phone to computer. I still handwrite my sermons. I still enjoy attending worship services live as opposed to watching it from my mobile device. I'd rather see a movie on the big screen rather than a phone. I'd rather preach than tweet and write than text. I'm a relic. I like slower paces of life. I like cafes. I love small towns. I like country churches with down to earth country folks. I like ice tea no matter the season or the weather. I like country roads with beautiful scenery. I like taking walks to pray and meditate without the distraction of someone calling or texting. I like sit down meals with family and friends. I enjoy quiet days with Brenda. I still enjoy wearing slacks, dress shirts and a tie when preaching in houses of worship most often. I've never preached from my phone or other electronic device. I am an antique. I know it and I accept it.
In my estimation I do not see where being mobile has made society any better. It just means people move faster. They are constantly accessing information. They are stressed. They are addicted to what other people think about them. They live their whole lives on a stage for social media even if what they post is not real. A carefully crafted facade to get a few more "likes." Why don't people concern themselves with living so purposely on the stage for Jehovah who sees and knows everything?
I will be thankful for technology but I have no desire to be enslaved to it. Mobile phones and devices are amoral. Neither bad nor good in themselves. They are beneficial but they can also be dangerous. If you are more addicted to social media than devotions with Yahweh you better check yourself before you wreck yourself. If you are more concerned with the number of "likes" you get form others but not more concerned with Him liking your life you are headed for trouble. If you are enticed away from holiness by your mobile device I hope you will repent and return to Jesus as quickly as possible. Being mobile can be a good thing and it can be a dangerously destructive thing. Which is it for you?
Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJV)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
I seldom use my phone for such purposes. I do not enjoy reading lengthy documents on my phone. I do not enjoy typing lengthy texts or emails on my phone. We live in a society where people are glued to heir phones. Take this little challenge. The next time you go out to eat leave your cell phone hidden in your vehicle or turn it off and put it away in a pocket or purse. Then look up and look around long enough to notice how many people's noses are stuck in their phones. They can be sitting at a table with other people and yet glued to their phones ignoring the people they actually have seated around them. For such a connected world it sure appears people are disconnected.
People walk down sidewalks glued to their phones. People watch sitcoms, movies and videos right on their phone. They now use their phone for Bible reading and devotions. Yet in this era of social media and instant communication are we any more connected with people? Are relationships deeper and more committed? Are marriages stronger, families more close knit and friendships closer? People boast about the number of friends they may have or the number of followers they have.
What about real relationships? What about real live conversations? I heard a pastor say recently, "People get brave legs behind their cell phones." Meaning people say things from their phones they would never say face to face to people. Phones are used to bully, harass, intimidate and manipulate people as well as all the positive things people do on them.
In this social media world people seem more distracted. I find it offensive when you are trying to talk to someone and they are constantly on their phone. We banned phones from our dining room table so we actually talk to one another. When did we ever get the idea a text or tweet could ever substitute for real conversations? Where did we fall for the trap that facebook friends always equate to real friends? Have you ever had someone friend request you and you had no idea who they were? Those are not real friends.
Sure. I see advantages of cell phones. I often make ministry calls while driving. I called several people and invited to an upcoming ministry event driving home yesterday. I am able to call and check on sick members while driving making better use of my time. I often send prayer texts to encourage people. I can read and respond to emails while I am out of the office.
What about the dangers of cell phones? Our children have access to all sorts of evil right at their finger tips. Even the best of children are not immune from temptation to go where they should not go and see what they should not see via the technology they hold in their hands. What about how disconnected families become with everyone glued to their phones. Husbands and wives are ignored while spouses have to browse for hours on end. What about all the misunderstandings that occur because people post, comment and bully from their phones. What about little children who are taught all this mobile phone technology at a young age creating in them a desire for more and more. What will those children be like as teenagers and adults.
All of that said, not to mention, who is watching from the dark web stealing our information. Or those watching monitoring our every text, email, browse, post and phone conversation. In a land of freedom it seems we are less free and less private than ever. We are leaving digital footprints. Somebody somewhere has access to all we do on our mobile devices.
I know I know. I am old fashioned. Behind the times. A relic. Too old and too set in my ways. I would still rather read an old fashioned book than use an I-pad or Kindle or phone. I prefer to read my leather bound Bible. I do not even have a Bible app on my phone. I still like real conversations with real friends. I still like to give people my undivided attention when they are talking to me ignoring phone calls or texts. I still like visiting people in their homes where I get to know them. I prefer cold fashioned paper calendars. I'm not synced from my cel phone to computer. I still handwrite my sermons. I still enjoy attending worship services live as opposed to watching it from my mobile device. I'd rather see a movie on the big screen rather than a phone. I'd rather preach than tweet and write than text. I'm a relic. I like slower paces of life. I like cafes. I love small towns. I like country churches with down to earth country folks. I like ice tea no matter the season or the weather. I like country roads with beautiful scenery. I like taking walks to pray and meditate without the distraction of someone calling or texting. I like sit down meals with family and friends. I enjoy quiet days with Brenda. I still enjoy wearing slacks, dress shirts and a tie when preaching in houses of worship most often. I've never preached from my phone or other electronic device. I am an antique. I know it and I accept it.
In my estimation I do not see where being mobile has made society any better. It just means people move faster. They are constantly accessing information. They are stressed. They are addicted to what other people think about them. They live their whole lives on a stage for social media even if what they post is not real. A carefully crafted facade to get a few more "likes." Why don't people concern themselves with living so purposely on the stage for Jehovah who sees and knows everything?
I will be thankful for technology but I have no desire to be enslaved to it. Mobile phones and devices are amoral. Neither bad nor good in themselves. They are beneficial but they can also be dangerous. If you are more addicted to social media than devotions with Yahweh you better check yourself before you wreck yourself. If you are more concerned with the number of "likes" you get form others but not more concerned with Him liking your life you are headed for trouble. If you are enticed away from holiness by your mobile device I hope you will repent and return to Jesus as quickly as possible. Being mobile can be a good thing and it can be a dangerously destructive thing. Which is it for you?
Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJV)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Doer Of The Word
James 1:22-24 (NKJV)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
The word doer means to "practice habitually." Think about it. All the sermons we've heard. All the Bible teaching we've heard. All the Bible we've read and studied on our own. All the Bible studies and workbooks we have gone through. All the Christian radio and television that has gained our attention. All the Christian books we have read. And I ask the question, "Are we doers of the word? Do we practice those truths habitually?"
There is so much Bible truth not lived out. Bible truth conveniently forgotten when it is not convenient to live out the truth. Compromise in the church often trumps commitment. Our great God has given us principles and commandments to work out in this laboratory we call life. Things like how to build a strong health marriage, how to raise children, how to manage finances, how to make decisions, how to overcome adversity, how to endure suffering, how to relate to others, how to pray, how to share Jesus with others, how to overcome anxiety and so much more.
Even among faithful congregational members the Bible truth is not always lived out. You could sit in a worship gathering and hear a great message shouting amen in agreement all along the way but, that does not ensure you will live out that truth once you leave. Herein lies one of the great problems in the United States church. Fewer and fewer people live out the Bible truth they hear so often. People hear but they do not always do.
For example, how important is holiness in the American church and in our lives? God is holy. He requires His followers to live holy lives. Hypocrisy still abounds. Hearers of the word do not always translate into doers of the word. What about tithing? I recently talked to a pastor of a large church. They require two worship services to accommodate the crowd. The early service is the larger of the two services. Over 80% of the offerings received comes from the second and much smaller second service. How can that be? The first service pushes 1,000 in attendance.
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations [Matt 28:19-20]. Nine out of ten people have never witnessed and shared the gospel of Jesus with one person in their lives. Nine out of ten! Faithful pastors have preached, taught, organized and exhorted parishioners to evangelize. Members hear the truth but they do not live out the truth.
Churches split rather than working through strife. We throw money at problems like the homeless, addicts, abused and those forgotten in retirement and rehabilitation centers. Do we actually get involved on personal levels? This is the messy side of ministry. This stretches us way beyond our comfort zones. This is nitty gritty ministry. Didn't Jesus command us to minister to the least of these?Pastors and churches all fight over the scraps of the well to do and successful people while the down and out are ignored and shunned. So much hearing and so very little doing.
Let's face it. To live out Bible truth in this culture means we will find ourselves clashing with cultural values, morality and agendas. It takes committed followers of Jesus to live out His truth. It takes courage to live out His truth. All around the world there are scores and scores of Jesus followers who willingly do this at great peril. They live out Bible truth fearlessly. They stand steadfastly for Jesus in the midst of hostility. How are American Christians not shamed in comparison?
We have a choice to make. Will we be Bible hearers for the rest of our days? Will we by the power of the Holy Spirit actually live out habitually and practice the very truth we hear? Will we be doers of the word? In light of eternity that choice should be an easy one.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
The word doer means to "practice habitually." Think about it. All the sermons we've heard. All the Bible teaching we've heard. All the Bible we've read and studied on our own. All the Bible studies and workbooks we have gone through. All the Christian radio and television that has gained our attention. All the Christian books we have read. And I ask the question, "Are we doers of the word? Do we practice those truths habitually?"
There is so much Bible truth not lived out. Bible truth conveniently forgotten when it is not convenient to live out the truth. Compromise in the church often trumps commitment. Our great God has given us principles and commandments to work out in this laboratory we call life. Things like how to build a strong health marriage, how to raise children, how to manage finances, how to make decisions, how to overcome adversity, how to endure suffering, how to relate to others, how to pray, how to share Jesus with others, how to overcome anxiety and so much more.
Even among faithful congregational members the Bible truth is not always lived out. You could sit in a worship gathering and hear a great message shouting amen in agreement all along the way but, that does not ensure you will live out that truth once you leave. Herein lies one of the great problems in the United States church. Fewer and fewer people live out the Bible truth they hear so often. People hear but they do not always do.
For example, how important is holiness in the American church and in our lives? God is holy. He requires His followers to live holy lives. Hypocrisy still abounds. Hearers of the word do not always translate into doers of the word. What about tithing? I recently talked to a pastor of a large church. They require two worship services to accommodate the crowd. The early service is the larger of the two services. Over 80% of the offerings received comes from the second and much smaller second service. How can that be? The first service pushes 1,000 in attendance.
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations [Matt 28:19-20]. Nine out of ten people have never witnessed and shared the gospel of Jesus with one person in their lives. Nine out of ten! Faithful pastors have preached, taught, organized and exhorted parishioners to evangelize. Members hear the truth but they do not live out the truth.
Churches split rather than working through strife. We throw money at problems like the homeless, addicts, abused and those forgotten in retirement and rehabilitation centers. Do we actually get involved on personal levels? This is the messy side of ministry. This stretches us way beyond our comfort zones. This is nitty gritty ministry. Didn't Jesus command us to minister to the least of these?Pastors and churches all fight over the scraps of the well to do and successful people while the down and out are ignored and shunned. So much hearing and so very little doing.
Let's face it. To live out Bible truth in this culture means we will find ourselves clashing with cultural values, morality and agendas. It takes committed followers of Jesus to live out His truth. It takes courage to live out His truth. All around the world there are scores and scores of Jesus followers who willingly do this at great peril. They live out Bible truth fearlessly. They stand steadfastly for Jesus in the midst of hostility. How are American Christians not shamed in comparison?
We have a choice to make. Will we be Bible hearers for the rest of our days? Will we by the power of the Holy Spirit actually live out habitually and practice the very truth we hear? Will we be doers of the word? In light of eternity that choice should be an easy one.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
No Sinners Allowed
The congregation attendance was small that Sunday. The pastor strode behind the pulpit. He came down hard on sin and sinners. He reportedly said, "I will not have sin in this church."
Some of the listeners were brokenhearted. Many of them fought addiction. They stumbled from time to time. No matter what the pastor intended to communicate what the addicts heard was, "No sinners allowed. I am a sinner. I am no longer welcome here." They came from sordid backgrounds and had found refuge in that little flock. When the new pastor came and thundered that statement dozens of people left that Sunday and never returned. Sadly, some never returned to that place of worship or any other for that matter.
What I find interesting about this true story is the pastor did not include himself in that statement. That pastor was just as guilty of sinning as anyone else in that place that day. Maybe his sins were not addictions. Maybe his sins seemed minor in comparison.
Just as surely as there are faithful pastors who do more good than we will ever know, there are also pastors who do immense damage to people. They are harsh dictators, insensitive, hypocrites, legalistic, without compassion, filled with hate more than love and worse yet trying to justify their actions.
You would not believe the stories I've heard. Funeral directors have told me about pastors would not be available to do funerals on Saturdays or Sundays. Some pastors will not be inconvenienced to counsel with people. I thought part of the call to be an under shepherd meant to be available to minister to people as much as humanly possible. Many times I've been asked to preach funerals because no other pastor would be inconvenienced to preach the funeral of someone they did not know. Many times I have interrupted my plans because of a death or a tragedy.
I am shocked at how often I've heard people talk about their pastor never coming to visit them in a hospital. I am not talking about people being hospitalized for a day or two. I am talking about people who were hospitalized weeks at a time. Or those who reported their pastor did not visit them when they were homebound and unable to attend a worship gathering.
There are many other stories I care not to divulge. Sordid sick stories of sin. The point is pastors sin just as much, maybe more so, than anyone else. Pastors can be hypocrites behind the pulpit. Pastors can repel people away from the church and Christ. I have done those things. I've had people confide in me that other pastors have done the same.
It breaks my heart to hear such stories. It breaks my heart even more to know I have been guilty at times of such woeful behavior. How many have I turned away from Jesus and His church?
One thing I have not done is tell sinners they were not allowed to worship or unwelcome. How can I look so intently to pluck sin from their lives when my own sin is present. I must deal with my sin first. More times than I can count over the years I've had to apologize to people for wrong behavior, insensitive remarks, unkind actions, sermons preached in truth but without love and my stubborn pride.
If no sinners were allowed then I could never worship publicly again or preach again for I sin. I hate the fact that sin still lies in me. I can be short tempered, rude, harsh, hold grudges, be unforgiving and more. I am not perfect. I am a child of God and a recipient of amazing grace.
How can I or any preacher ever say no sinners are allowed when Jesus continually approached and loved sinful people. He extends grace to sinners. He loves them. He patiently perseveres with them. He is kind. Merciful. Compassionate. All you have to do is read about a woman caught in the every act of adultery.
John 8:1-11 (NKJV)
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
Some of the listeners were brokenhearted. Many of them fought addiction. They stumbled from time to time. No matter what the pastor intended to communicate what the addicts heard was, "No sinners allowed. I am a sinner. I am no longer welcome here." They came from sordid backgrounds and had found refuge in that little flock. When the new pastor came and thundered that statement dozens of people left that Sunday and never returned. Sadly, some never returned to that place of worship or any other for that matter.
What I find interesting about this true story is the pastor did not include himself in that statement. That pastor was just as guilty of sinning as anyone else in that place that day. Maybe his sins were not addictions. Maybe his sins seemed minor in comparison.
Just as surely as there are faithful pastors who do more good than we will ever know, there are also pastors who do immense damage to people. They are harsh dictators, insensitive, hypocrites, legalistic, without compassion, filled with hate more than love and worse yet trying to justify their actions.
You would not believe the stories I've heard. Funeral directors have told me about pastors would not be available to do funerals on Saturdays or Sundays. Some pastors will not be inconvenienced to counsel with people. I thought part of the call to be an under shepherd meant to be available to minister to people as much as humanly possible. Many times I've been asked to preach funerals because no other pastor would be inconvenienced to preach the funeral of someone they did not know. Many times I have interrupted my plans because of a death or a tragedy.
I am shocked at how often I've heard people talk about their pastor never coming to visit them in a hospital. I am not talking about people being hospitalized for a day or two. I am talking about people who were hospitalized weeks at a time. Or those who reported their pastor did not visit them when they were homebound and unable to attend a worship gathering.
There are many other stories I care not to divulge. Sordid sick stories of sin. The point is pastors sin just as much, maybe more so, than anyone else. Pastors can be hypocrites behind the pulpit. Pastors can repel people away from the church and Christ. I have done those things. I've had people confide in me that other pastors have done the same.
It breaks my heart to hear such stories. It breaks my heart even more to know I have been guilty at times of such woeful behavior. How many have I turned away from Jesus and His church?
One thing I have not done is tell sinners they were not allowed to worship or unwelcome. How can I look so intently to pluck sin from their lives when my own sin is present. I must deal with my sin first. More times than I can count over the years I've had to apologize to people for wrong behavior, insensitive remarks, unkind actions, sermons preached in truth but without love and my stubborn pride.
If no sinners were allowed then I could never worship publicly again or preach again for I sin. I hate the fact that sin still lies in me. I can be short tempered, rude, harsh, hold grudges, be unforgiving and more. I am not perfect. I am a child of God and a recipient of amazing grace.
How can I or any preacher ever say no sinners are allowed when Jesus continually approached and loved sinful people. He extends grace to sinners. He loves them. He patiently perseveres with them. He is kind. Merciful. Compassionate. All you have to do is read about a woman caught in the every act of adultery.
John 8:1-11 (NKJV)
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
You also read about Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well in John 4 or His encounter with Saul in Acts 9. All sinners. All transformed by grace.
Don't misinterpret this. Jesus was not soft on sin. He told the woman caught in adultery, "go and sin no more." He didn't judge and condemn. In fact His hardest words were for the religious people. There is. a day when He will judge. A day of reckoning. A day of judgement. This is the age of grace. I want to deal with sinners in grace.
If Jesus loved, approached and befriended sinners who am I to shun them. Where do those struggling with addictions with wrecked lives find help if not in the body of Christ. We should never soft pedal the Bible truth about sin. That does not mean we are not supposed to love and reach out to sinful people. THAT INCLUDES ALL OF US.
WE MAY DRESS UP THE OUTSIDE AND DO A BETTER JOB OF HIDING SIN FROM PASTOR TO PEW SITTER. THE TRUTH IS STILL WE ARE ALL SINNERS. IF NO SINNERS ARE ALLOWED THE CHURCH OF JESUS WOULD SHUT DOWN AND CLOSE THE DOORS.
WE ARE TO HATE THE SIN AND THE DESTRUCTION IT BRINGS ON FAMILIES. WE ARE TO LOVE SINFUL PEOPLE. LOVE THEM TO JESUS. I WILL NOT BE THE ONE THROWING ROCKS TODAY. I'VE BEEN FORGIVEN OF TOO MUCH TO CAST STONES AT ANYONE.
Dealing with sinners is messy. They might take 3 steps forward and two backwards. They might get on fire and then slip in a moment of weakness. If those sinners really meet Jesus and are transformed by Him I stand on this promise for them and us.
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
There is hope for sinners.
John 8:32-36 (NKJV)
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?"
34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Let the sinners comes. Let Jesus be preached and proclaimed. Let Him redeem. Let Him transform. Let Him deliver and set people free. Let Him display trophies of His amazing grace.
A Word In Season
We had a busy weekend. And most of our busyness had nothing to do with the start of football season or school. Busy in ministry. I fell asleep early last night exhausted after a full weekend and preaching along with teaching.
At 2:45 a.m. God gave me a wake up call. My initial reaction was to stay in bed. I even turned over on my side and pulled the covers up snug closing my eyes. God is persistent. He would not be ignored. He has His ways to get our attention. He got mine in a clear and undeniable way. I knew what it meant. Time in the secret place.
My attitude was not great. My flesh preferred to have my head resting on my pillows snuggled under the covers in sweet slumber. I confessed that attitude. Soon He had me engaged in prayer. I poured out my burdens. I cried out for more of Him. To be honest I also doubted. I am not proud of it. I confessed my doubts.
God met me in a profound way. In 18 verses God spoke the same two strong words of admonition four different times. If I had been sleep walking through that devotion I would have had a hard time missing His message for me today.
I paused to muse on the fact that God woke me up because He had something to say to me. Something planned and set aside for me on this day before I was even born. It was not coincidence that I left off my previous Bible reading where I did and picked up the Bible reading where I did, and just as importantly, when I did.
God's word proved to be a word in season. A perfect word for what I needed. A word to drive away my doubts. A word to hang onto for many days to come. A word to strengthen A word to comfort. A word to encourage. A word to challenge. All of that coming out of one short Bible reading.
I am thankful for words in season. This morning was not my first experience with such. It has happened numerous times over the years. A perfect word for specific situations. That is my prayer for you today. I want you to seek God wholeheartedly and trust Him to speak a word in season for you. I don't know what you need to hear but He does. He knows what you are facing. He knows what you need.
Many years ago I started reading the Bible through. I tried some of those read the Bible through in a year programs. That did not work for me. I found myself distracted by trying to keep up or falling behind and trying to catch up. I did not get much out of those readings. So I started reading at my own pace. Starting in Genesis and systematically reading all the way through to Revelation. When I finish I start over.
In my mind it makes the word in season all the more amazing. I could have just as easily read those verses yesterday morning. They would not have meant as much to me yesterday. God had it preserved for today when I needed it the most. He will do the same for you if you give yourself to diligently reading His word. Words in season await you.
At 2:45 a.m. God gave me a wake up call. My initial reaction was to stay in bed. I even turned over on my side and pulled the covers up snug closing my eyes. God is persistent. He would not be ignored. He has His ways to get our attention. He got mine in a clear and undeniable way. I knew what it meant. Time in the secret place.
My attitude was not great. My flesh preferred to have my head resting on my pillows snuggled under the covers in sweet slumber. I confessed that attitude. Soon He had me engaged in prayer. I poured out my burdens. I cried out for more of Him. To be honest I also doubted. I am not proud of it. I confessed my doubts.
God met me in a profound way. In 18 verses God spoke the same two strong words of admonition four different times. If I had been sleep walking through that devotion I would have had a hard time missing His message for me today.
I paused to muse on the fact that God woke me up because He had something to say to me. Something planned and set aside for me on this day before I was even born. It was not coincidence that I left off my previous Bible reading where I did and picked up the Bible reading where I did, and just as importantly, when I did.
God's word proved to be a word in season. A perfect word for what I needed. A word to drive away my doubts. A word to hang onto for many days to come. A word to strengthen A word to comfort. A word to encourage. A word to challenge. All of that coming out of one short Bible reading.
I am thankful for words in season. This morning was not my first experience with such. It has happened numerous times over the years. A perfect word for specific situations. That is my prayer for you today. I want you to seek God wholeheartedly and trust Him to speak a word in season for you. I don't know what you need to hear but He does. He knows what you are facing. He knows what you need.
Many years ago I started reading the Bible through. I tried some of those read the Bible through in a year programs. That did not work for me. I found myself distracted by trying to keep up or falling behind and trying to catch up. I did not get much out of those readings. So I started reading at my own pace. Starting in Genesis and systematically reading all the way through to Revelation. When I finish I start over.
In my mind it makes the word in season all the more amazing. I could have just as easily read those verses yesterday morning. They would not have meant as much to me yesterday. God had it preserved for today when I needed it the most. He will do the same for you if you give yourself to diligently reading His word. Words in season await you.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Little By Little
Do you have any goals? Do you have any clear directives from the Lord and you are praying and laboring toward that end? Dreams are easy to imagine but harder to see become reality. Especially when those dreams come from Jehovah. When He plants His dreams and desires in you they often look impossible. They can be intimidating right from the start.
God gave Israel a dream. It started with just one man named Abram. Part of that dream included possessing what came to be known as the promise land. I bet God has given you a promise land. Something you are believing Him for, trying to achieve for Him and laboring towards fulfilling.
Promise lands look great from a distance. The only trouble is you often have to possess it. That means you have dispossess something to get it. To put it another way there are usually obstacles standing in the way between and God's dream. It may be money, the resource of people, lack of education or experience, waiting for an open door, and dozens of other things. Promise lands are those things God wills for us. It is that out of reach reality He has promised us. That is why we call it the promise land. God promised as far back as Abram He would give His people that land.
They doubted. Consequently all the doubters had to die off before God would let them enter. That took 40 years. The time finally came. Before Moses died God spoke through him to give Israel some final instructions. I came across an interesting verse this morning in the book of Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 7:22 (NKJV)
22 And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.
Did you see it. God told Israel He would drive out or thrust out the other nations little by little. That is often how God's dreams are achieved. A little bit at a time. We would like to see it all at once. We often are not ready for that. God uses the journey to prepare us for the fulfillment of the dream. Little by little.
A lot can be accomplished little by little. I both love and dread the fall. I love the crisper cooler weather. I love the changing colors of the leaves and all the fun fall festivities. At our house I dread the annual falling of the leaves. This has become an annual chore the boys and I abhor. Our lot has an abundance of trees. We have cut down over a dozen small trees on this lot and you can hardly tell. Two years ago we hauled off 21 truck bed loads of leaves. Not garbage bags. 21 loads of just leaves filling up the truckbeds to the top. We got blisters from raking even with gloves. I thought the job would never end. Little by little we came and conquered.
Little by little books are written. First, sentences are strung together to make paragraphs and then paragraphs become chapters. Finally the chapters are put together comprising a book.
Litle by little ingredients put together make delicious food. Little by little diplomas are earned as one assignment and one class at a time are completed. Taylor is finishing his last assignment this semester to graduate with his bachelors degree certified to teach history. It has been a long road to get to this point. Many holidays when he came home all he did was homework. Little by little he worked toward the fulfillment of God's dreams.
I am not sure what your promise land is. I know mine. It is daunting. I am encouraged that God will bring us to those things if we trust Him and obey little by little. Little progress is still progress. It may feel like sometimes moving forward is an inch at a time. God can take an inch and turn it into miles by His power. We must stay with it.
So much of what God wills for us requires perseverance as well as faith. Little by little. One prayer. One small step of obedience. One step of faith at a time. We move forward.
God had his reasons for not giving Israel all the promise land at the same time. They were not in a position to maintain or protect all of it. They had to grow into the promise. The same is true of us. Are you growing into God's promise little by little? Are you able to celebrate the little victories along the way as well as the bigger ones?
It has taken me a long time to learn this. I have been a dreamer all my life. I always have dreams, goals and ambitions. Many times they have proven to be dreams of my own imagination. I also have God given dreams. For decades when God gave such dreams I just wanted to get to the end. I wanted to see the fulfillment. I missed out on something important. I did not find joy in the journey. I so busied myself wit the end result I did not always enjoy the people who helped along the way or the things I learned in the process.
God's latest dream for me is bigger than what I wanted to tackle. I have strong peace it is the dream I am to pursue. More and more God is bringing it into clarity. This time I am determined to enjoy the process. To find joy in the journey toward the realization of the dream. I want to enjoy the people who are laboring with me to see it fulfilled. I want to learn along the way. I want to celebrate each victory as little by little as we inch forward toward God's promise land for my family. I hope you will do the same little by little. Charles Spurgone once said, "By perseverance even the snail reached the ark." Let us make progress even if it is only little by little.
God gave Israel a dream. It started with just one man named Abram. Part of that dream included possessing what came to be known as the promise land. I bet God has given you a promise land. Something you are believing Him for, trying to achieve for Him and laboring towards fulfilling.
Promise lands look great from a distance. The only trouble is you often have to possess it. That means you have dispossess something to get it. To put it another way there are usually obstacles standing in the way between and God's dream. It may be money, the resource of people, lack of education or experience, waiting for an open door, and dozens of other things. Promise lands are those things God wills for us. It is that out of reach reality He has promised us. That is why we call it the promise land. God promised as far back as Abram He would give His people that land.
They doubted. Consequently all the doubters had to die off before God would let them enter. That took 40 years. The time finally came. Before Moses died God spoke through him to give Israel some final instructions. I came across an interesting verse this morning in the book of Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 7:22 (NKJV)
22 And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.
A lot can be accomplished little by little. I both love and dread the fall. I love the crisper cooler weather. I love the changing colors of the leaves and all the fun fall festivities. At our house I dread the annual falling of the leaves. This has become an annual chore the boys and I abhor. Our lot has an abundance of trees. We have cut down over a dozen small trees on this lot and you can hardly tell. Two years ago we hauled off 21 truck bed loads of leaves. Not garbage bags. 21 loads of just leaves filling up the truckbeds to the top. We got blisters from raking even with gloves. I thought the job would never end. Little by little we came and conquered.
Little by little books are written. First, sentences are strung together to make paragraphs and then paragraphs become chapters. Finally the chapters are put together comprising a book.
Litle by little ingredients put together make delicious food. Little by little diplomas are earned as one assignment and one class at a time are completed. Taylor is finishing his last assignment this semester to graduate with his bachelors degree certified to teach history. It has been a long road to get to this point. Many holidays when he came home all he did was homework. Little by little he worked toward the fulfillment of God's dreams.
I am not sure what your promise land is. I know mine. It is daunting. I am encouraged that God will bring us to those things if we trust Him and obey little by little. Little progress is still progress. It may feel like sometimes moving forward is an inch at a time. God can take an inch and turn it into miles by His power. We must stay with it.
So much of what God wills for us requires perseverance as well as faith. Little by little. One prayer. One small step of obedience. One step of faith at a time. We move forward.
God had his reasons for not giving Israel all the promise land at the same time. They were not in a position to maintain or protect all of it. They had to grow into the promise. The same is true of us. Are you growing into God's promise little by little? Are you able to celebrate the little victories along the way as well as the bigger ones?
It has taken me a long time to learn this. I have been a dreamer all my life. I always have dreams, goals and ambitions. Many times they have proven to be dreams of my own imagination. I also have God given dreams. For decades when God gave such dreams I just wanted to get to the end. I wanted to see the fulfillment. I missed out on something important. I did not find joy in the journey. I so busied myself wit the end result I did not always enjoy the people who helped along the way or the things I learned in the process.
God's latest dream for me is bigger than what I wanted to tackle. I have strong peace it is the dream I am to pursue. More and more God is bringing it into clarity. This time I am determined to enjoy the process. To find joy in the journey toward the realization of the dream. I want to enjoy the people who are laboring with me to see it fulfilled. I want to learn along the way. I want to celebrate each victory as little by little as we inch forward toward God's promise land for my family. I hope you will do the same little by little. Charles Spurgone once said, "By perseverance even the snail reached the ark." Let us make progress even if it is only little by little.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Do We Care
Even though Moses led a stiff necked, grumbling, half hearted, rebellious people he loved them. He labored to give them God's best. Including putting himself on the line before Pharaoh multiple times before God actually set them free. Moses risked everything to go back to Egypt on assignment for God. God intervened and set Israel free.
Following their freedom came a series of tests. It usually went something like this. God led the people. They got hungry and thirsty but could find no food or water. They grumbled. God got angry but intervened. They celebrated and then doubted again as soon as the next test came.
Many times God grew angry over Israel. Moses kept loving them, leading them and praying for them.
Then we come to a lengthy passage in Numbers 16. A guy named Korah, along with 250 notable leaders from Israel, openly defied Moses and Aaron. They accused these two servants of God of exalting themselves and lording over Israel. They claimed they had just as much holiness and right to lead. These wicked men challenged the God ordained authority of Moses and Aaron.
A test was proposed. Burn incense before the Lord and let Jehovah choose the holy ones. The challenge was accepted. It appears the whole nation showed up to watch what Yahweh would do and whom He would choose. The fire pans were gathered and incense were offered.
Moses declared that the ones Jehovah rejected would be swallowed whole by the ground. God warned Moses and Aaron, as well as the rest of the nation, to move away from Korah and those on his side. Sure enough the ground opened and swallowed Korah and his family whole. Fire came down and consumed the 250 other leaders who sided with Korah.
When Korah rebelled God stood ready to wipe out the whole nation. Moses and Aaron pleaded with God not to hold the whole nation guilty for the sins of a minority. God is just. He will not leave sin unpunished. He executed wrathful judgement on the rebellious.
After God punished Korah and his rebellious mutineers, the congregation of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron and blamed them for the death of Korah and the others. God's anger was kindled and this time He actually began to judge Israel with a plague. Moses prayed for God's mercy and Aaron ran between the dead and the living offering incense to appease the Lord. Over 14,0000 died at the hand of the Lord that day.
You know what struck me when I read this passage earlier today. How much Moses loved those people. Enough to stand in the gap for them. Not once but twice even when they turned on him and Aaron again. He cared enough to plead for God to give Israel another chance. Only a couple of days later Israel again rebelled and again Moses pleaded with God to have mercy. He cared.
All around us people are perishing. The vast majority die without Jesus and salvation. They perish. Meaning they are destroyed and ruined in Hell. I ask does the church even care? Does it bother the preacher, the elders, the deacons, the teachers, those in the choir, the ushers, the musicians or the average person? Do we care that untold numbers pass from this life into a tormented eternity without Jesus? We boldly claim we have the answer and remedy to this situation. Yet about the best people muster is to invite someone to church. The gospel is not often shared outside the pulpit in a great many congregations.
Who intercedes? Who loves like Moses loved? Who cares like he did? Who pounds on the doors of heaven for lost souls to be saved? Who weeps anymore for the lost to come to repentance and faith in Jesus?
We make excuses for our pathetic evangelistic results. We say it is because we live in a post modern world. That is the new catch phrase. We make excuses that church has become irrelevant. Everybody is looking for a new model. I even heard about people having beer bashes so they can get close to and relate to other beer drinkers. What happened to come apart and be separate? We adopt the world's ways and water down the gospel and the church even more with each passing generation.
The fledgling church in the book of Acts lived in a hostile environment. They were not trendy. They were bold. They also prayed. No, I mean they prayed a lot. They gathered for prayer and God empowered them. Read for yourself the results. Everyday somebody got saved. A few thousand here. A few thousand there. The gospel spread way beyond Jerusalem and beyond the Jewish people. Hostile opposition arose from Jews and governmental officials. Still the church kept growing and expanding to new countries as people boldly prayed and boldly shared Jesus with those they came in contact with. Those apostles and early believers cared.
The hard truth is it appears the modern day church does not care about the perishing. A new program is preferred to be started over a prayer meeting. A new "come and see our church" approach is embraced rather than, Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
We would rather plan and attend another fellowship than to stand in the gap for the perishing. Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV)
30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.
I don't know the full extent of what the Lord is doing but can we sit comfortably while the church does so little and so many are one breath away from hell? This is happening on our watch. On my watch. Do I care? Do you? Does the church? If not we are the biggest hypocrites of all. We are running a sham. A hustle to build country clubs for social gatherings rather than impacting our culture and rescuing the perishing. We are con artists saying we believe in a gospel we seldom if ever share. God help us. God help us to care again. Like Moses. Like the apostles.
Following their freedom came a series of tests. It usually went something like this. God led the people. They got hungry and thirsty but could find no food or water. They grumbled. God got angry but intervened. They celebrated and then doubted again as soon as the next test came.
Many times God grew angry over Israel. Moses kept loving them, leading them and praying for them.
Then we come to a lengthy passage in Numbers 16. A guy named Korah, along with 250 notable leaders from Israel, openly defied Moses and Aaron. They accused these two servants of God of exalting themselves and lording over Israel. They claimed they had just as much holiness and right to lead. These wicked men challenged the God ordained authority of Moses and Aaron.
A test was proposed. Burn incense before the Lord and let Jehovah choose the holy ones. The challenge was accepted. It appears the whole nation showed up to watch what Yahweh would do and whom He would choose. The fire pans were gathered and incense were offered.
Moses declared that the ones Jehovah rejected would be swallowed whole by the ground. God warned Moses and Aaron, as well as the rest of the nation, to move away from Korah and those on his side. Sure enough the ground opened and swallowed Korah and his family whole. Fire came down and consumed the 250 other leaders who sided with Korah.
When Korah rebelled God stood ready to wipe out the whole nation. Moses and Aaron pleaded with God not to hold the whole nation guilty for the sins of a minority. God is just. He will not leave sin unpunished. He executed wrathful judgement on the rebellious.
After God punished Korah and his rebellious mutineers, the congregation of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron and blamed them for the death of Korah and the others. God's anger was kindled and this time He actually began to judge Israel with a plague. Moses prayed for God's mercy and Aaron ran between the dead and the living offering incense to appease the Lord. Over 14,0000 died at the hand of the Lord that day.
You know what struck me when I read this passage earlier today. How much Moses loved those people. Enough to stand in the gap for them. Not once but twice even when they turned on him and Aaron again. He cared enough to plead for God to give Israel another chance. Only a couple of days later Israel again rebelled and again Moses pleaded with God to have mercy. He cared.
All around us people are perishing. The vast majority die without Jesus and salvation. They perish. Meaning they are destroyed and ruined in Hell. I ask does the church even care? Does it bother the preacher, the elders, the deacons, the teachers, those in the choir, the ushers, the musicians or the average person? Do we care that untold numbers pass from this life into a tormented eternity without Jesus? We boldly claim we have the answer and remedy to this situation. Yet about the best people muster is to invite someone to church. The gospel is not often shared outside the pulpit in a great many congregations.
Who intercedes? Who loves like Moses loved? Who cares like he did? Who pounds on the doors of heaven for lost souls to be saved? Who weeps anymore for the lost to come to repentance and faith in Jesus?
We make excuses for our pathetic evangelistic results. We say it is because we live in a post modern world. That is the new catch phrase. We make excuses that church has become irrelevant. Everybody is looking for a new model. I even heard about people having beer bashes so they can get close to and relate to other beer drinkers. What happened to come apart and be separate? We adopt the world's ways and water down the gospel and the church even more with each passing generation.
The fledgling church in the book of Acts lived in a hostile environment. They were not trendy. They were bold. They also prayed. No, I mean they prayed a lot. They gathered for prayer and God empowered them. Read for yourself the results. Everyday somebody got saved. A few thousand here. A few thousand there. The gospel spread way beyond Jerusalem and beyond the Jewish people. Hostile opposition arose from Jews and governmental officials. Still the church kept growing and expanding to new countries as people boldly prayed and boldly shared Jesus with those they came in contact with. Those apostles and early believers cared.
The hard truth is it appears the modern day church does not care about the perishing. A new program is preferred to be started over a prayer meeting. A new "come and see our church" approach is embraced rather than, Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
We would rather plan and attend another fellowship than to stand in the gap for the perishing. Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV)
30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.
I don't know the full extent of what the Lord is doing but can we sit comfortably while the church does so little and so many are one breath away from hell? This is happening on our watch. On my watch. Do I care? Do you? Does the church? If not we are the biggest hypocrites of all. We are running a sham. A hustle to build country clubs for social gatherings rather than impacting our culture and rescuing the perishing. We are con artists saying we believe in a gospel we seldom if ever share. God help us. God help us to care again. Like Moses. Like the apostles.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Powerless Preacher
Shame. Regret. Remorse. Repentance. That summarizes my prayer time this morning. What about you might ask?
The years I have spent in powerless ministry. I was deeply convicted that somewhere along the way I just settled into ministry. I hated the status quo and ho hum results. I detested them. Yet, I learned to accept them. I learned to just keep plodding forward week after week, month after mont and year after year. Many times I comforted myself with the fact I preached and taught Bible truth. That was enough I rationalized. WRONG. Sinfully wrong. I should have continually pleaded with God for fresh anointing and power.
It always bothered me to read how Jesus ministered in power as well as the apostles in Acts. It bothered me to read about faithful servants from the past whose names I mention often. The anointing of God rested on them. The power of God flowed through them.
Looking back over the past several years of my sin caused me to shamefully repent of lack of power. I repented of lack of even desiring that kind of power in my ministry. It all felt so out of reach and I've felt so inadequate. I just lost heart that God would put power in my life and ministry. I quit asking for it. I quit seeking it. I quit pleading with Him to move powerfully in our gatherings. Slowly I changed. I became what I always detested. Just another professional preacher. Just dutifully laboring but with few results.
Until early this morning. God showed up. He used another preacher's sermon to pierce my heart. An old preachers named Jack Hyles preaching his famous sermon "Fresh Oil." I heard that sermon over 25 years ago still young in the ministry. I pleaded with God for fresh oil and power on my ministry back then. I stayed up late pleading with God to put real anointing on me.
Then disappointments set in. Failed ministries began to pile up. Shattered dreams blinded to me to anything different. I accepted pitiful ministry fruit. I SERVE A GREAT GOD! HE DESERVES AND IS ABLE TO WORK MIRACULOUSLY. HE IS ABLE TO SAVE THE MASSES. HE IS ABLE TO REVIVE THE CHURCH. HE IS ABLE TO AWAKEN A NATION AND NATIONS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. HE IS ABLE TO CALL THE CHURCH TO REPENTANCE. HE IS ABLE TO RESTORE THE WAYWARD. HE IS ABLE TO SATURATE HIS PEOPLE WITH HOLINESS. HE IS ABLE TO PICK PEOPLE TO SACRIFICE THE AMERICAN DREAM FOR HIS DREAM. He is able to do all of that and somewhere I lost sight of it all.
Somewhere along the way I learned to settle. I learned to live with a broken heart from empty altars and dry baptistries. I coped with small crowds. I didn't like it but I coped with it. I accepted it. I believed it was my lot in life.
This morning my eyes were opened to how far I've fallen. I repented. I cried out to God to put His hand back on my ministry. I pleaded for power. I pleaded for fresh anointing on every facet of my ministry. Prayer. Evangelism. Preaching. Teaching. Writing. All of it.
I'LL NOT BE CONTENT TO BE A POWERLESS PREACHER! NOT TODAY. NOT AGAIN.
Holy Ghost, come breathe fresh on me. Stir my mind with your truth. Great God, please do not pass me by. I live in wicked times. I am powerless to make any difference for you in my ability and strength. I ask You to endue me with power like You did the saints of old. I am not asking You for a large ministry. I am pleading with You for an effective ministry. Help me never ever ever be content to be a powerless preacher again.
The years I have spent in powerless ministry. I was deeply convicted that somewhere along the way I just settled into ministry. I hated the status quo and ho hum results. I detested them. Yet, I learned to accept them. I learned to just keep plodding forward week after week, month after mont and year after year. Many times I comforted myself with the fact I preached and taught Bible truth. That was enough I rationalized. WRONG. Sinfully wrong. I should have continually pleaded with God for fresh anointing and power.
It always bothered me to read how Jesus ministered in power as well as the apostles in Acts. It bothered me to read about faithful servants from the past whose names I mention often. The anointing of God rested on them. The power of God flowed through them.
Looking back over the past several years of my sin caused me to shamefully repent of lack of power. I repented of lack of even desiring that kind of power in my ministry. It all felt so out of reach and I've felt so inadequate. I just lost heart that God would put power in my life and ministry. I quit asking for it. I quit seeking it. I quit pleading with Him to move powerfully in our gatherings. Slowly I changed. I became what I always detested. Just another professional preacher. Just dutifully laboring but with few results.
Until early this morning. God showed up. He used another preacher's sermon to pierce my heart. An old preachers named Jack Hyles preaching his famous sermon "Fresh Oil." I heard that sermon over 25 years ago still young in the ministry. I pleaded with God for fresh oil and power on my ministry back then. I stayed up late pleading with God to put real anointing on me.
Then disappointments set in. Failed ministries began to pile up. Shattered dreams blinded to me to anything different. I accepted pitiful ministry fruit. I SERVE A GREAT GOD! HE DESERVES AND IS ABLE TO WORK MIRACULOUSLY. HE IS ABLE TO SAVE THE MASSES. HE IS ABLE TO REVIVE THE CHURCH. HE IS ABLE TO AWAKEN A NATION AND NATIONS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. HE IS ABLE TO CALL THE CHURCH TO REPENTANCE. HE IS ABLE TO RESTORE THE WAYWARD. HE IS ABLE TO SATURATE HIS PEOPLE WITH HOLINESS. HE IS ABLE TO PICK PEOPLE TO SACRIFICE THE AMERICAN DREAM FOR HIS DREAM. He is able to do all of that and somewhere I lost sight of it all.
Somewhere along the way I learned to settle. I learned to live with a broken heart from empty altars and dry baptistries. I coped with small crowds. I didn't like it but I coped with it. I accepted it. I believed it was my lot in life.
This morning my eyes were opened to how far I've fallen. I repented. I cried out to God to put His hand back on my ministry. I pleaded for power. I pleaded for fresh anointing on every facet of my ministry. Prayer. Evangelism. Preaching. Teaching. Writing. All of it.
I'LL NOT BE CONTENT TO BE A POWERLESS PREACHER! NOT TODAY. NOT AGAIN.
Holy Ghost, come breathe fresh on me. Stir my mind with your truth. Great God, please do not pass me by. I live in wicked times. I am powerless to make any difference for you in my ability and strength. I ask You to endue me with power like You did the saints of old. I am not asking You for a large ministry. I am pleading with You for an effective ministry. Help me never ever ever be content to be a powerless preacher again.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Blindsided
I never saw it coming into full view,
A broadside hit into my ocean blue,
Totally blindsided without any warning,
Ruining what had been a good morning,
Such a blow staggered me to my knees,
Draining both hope and faith from me,
What do I do, where do I go for strength,
The God I trusted failed me at length,
Or so it seems from my little perspective,
I need to pause, pray and get reflective,
Do I believe what I see and how I feel,
God, what's happening, what's the deal,
I'm trying to serve You as best I can,
This blow seems harsh from Your hand,
Doubt arises to strangle faith and trust,
The illusion of my perfect world a bust,
What now? What am I supposed to do,
I know - You want me to trust in You,
It is hard to trust when I'm blindsided,
Please hold me till the shock's subsided,
Please comfort the anxieties in mind,
The intensifying grief I'm about to find,
You love me - forever proven at the cross,
My gain there meant for You suffering loss,
I am Your child covered in much trouble,
Shattered no longer inside my safe bubble,
You are here, my ever present help - refuge,
Please hear my prayers ow and do not refuse,
To come to my aid in this my sore tragic hour,
When my sweet life turned very bitterly sour,
You are Sovereign and still in total control,
I turn to Your word for strength and console,
My world is rocked shaken in foundation,
I don't expect You will give an explanation,
You will love and hold me in my confusion,
All this pain and an un-welcomed intrusion,
Through it all You are faithful and ever true,
I choose to worship, serve and still trust in You.
- written for a friend just blindsided by some bad news.
A broadside hit into my ocean blue,
Totally blindsided without any warning,
Ruining what had been a good morning,
Such a blow staggered me to my knees,
Draining both hope and faith from me,
What do I do, where do I go for strength,
The God I trusted failed me at length,
Or so it seems from my little perspective,
I need to pause, pray and get reflective,
Do I believe what I see and how I feel,
God, what's happening, what's the deal,
I'm trying to serve You as best I can,
This blow seems harsh from Your hand,
Doubt arises to strangle faith and trust,
The illusion of my perfect world a bust,
What now? What am I supposed to do,
I know - You want me to trust in You,
It is hard to trust when I'm blindsided,
Please hold me till the shock's subsided,
Please comfort the anxieties in mind,
The intensifying grief I'm about to find,
You love me - forever proven at the cross,
My gain there meant for You suffering loss,
I am Your child covered in much trouble,
Shattered no longer inside my safe bubble,
You are here, my ever present help - refuge,
Please hear my prayers ow and do not refuse,
To come to my aid in this my sore tragic hour,
When my sweet life turned very bitterly sour,
You are Sovereign and still in total control,
I turn to Your word for strength and console,
My world is rocked shaken in foundation,
I don't expect You will give an explanation,
You will love and hold me in my confusion,
All this pain and an un-welcomed intrusion,
Through it all You are faithful and ever true,
I choose to worship, serve and still trust in You.
- written for a friend just blindsided by some bad news.
A Heritage Of Faith
How did you get here as a follower of Jesus? Have you ever stopped to consider all God did in bringing you to salvation. Of course we must start with Jesus' death on the cross. Without that sacrifice none of us would be saved.
We would have to move on to suffering of those early saints. Many died as martyrs because they maintained their convictions in the midst of horrible suffering. Most of the apostles died violently yet they remained true. The passed on the heritage of faith to others. The persecution continued as the Catholic Church arose and strangled the gospel. God did not flinch. He raised reformers like Martin Luther to break the stranglehold and bring the church back to the Bible. At this period in history there we no English Bibles. Again God worked raising the likes of Tyndale and Wycliffe to accomplish this herculean task. How much do we owe to their tireless resolve to get an English translation for the common people even though they broke the law of the land in doing so. They suffered for the blessing we enjoy freely today.
You would also have to consider those brave pilgrims who left the shores of England to courageously accept the challenges of a new world founded on religious freedom. That new world eventually became the United States. God worked through powerful men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whifield to kindle a spiritual wakening. Those passed the baton to other stalwarts of the faith like Francis Asbury, Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, Bily Sunday and Vance Havner who proclaimed the gospel. The nation grew and so did churches all over the land. Another great awakening came in the mid 1800's fanning the flames of faith even further.
Somewhere and through someone God saved preachers, grandparents, parents, teachers in Sunday school and VBS, aunts, uncles along with friends and neighbors. They testified about their salvation and the heritage of faith continue to spread. Eventually that heritage came to someone close to ou. Someone shared with you the timeless message of Jesus. By faith you repented of sin and trusted Jesus for salvation. With thatHe wrote your name in the Lamb's book of I life.
When I think about all God did to get me to Him I'm humbled. I want to give Him my best and my all. "All to Jesus I surrender - all to Him I freely give..." I hope you want to do the same. May the heritage of our faith continue to be passed on to those after us.
We would have to move on to suffering of those early saints. Many died as martyrs because they maintained their convictions in the midst of horrible suffering. Most of the apostles died violently yet they remained true. The passed on the heritage of faith to others. The persecution continued as the Catholic Church arose and strangled the gospel. God did not flinch. He raised reformers like Martin Luther to break the stranglehold and bring the church back to the Bible. At this period in history there we no English Bibles. Again God worked raising the likes of Tyndale and Wycliffe to accomplish this herculean task. How much do we owe to their tireless resolve to get an English translation for the common people even though they broke the law of the land in doing so. They suffered for the blessing we enjoy freely today.
You would also have to consider those brave pilgrims who left the shores of England to courageously accept the challenges of a new world founded on religious freedom. That new world eventually became the United States. God worked through powerful men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whifield to kindle a spiritual wakening. Those passed the baton to other stalwarts of the faith like Francis Asbury, Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, Bily Sunday and Vance Havner who proclaimed the gospel. The nation grew and so did churches all over the land. Another great awakening came in the mid 1800's fanning the flames of faith even further.
Somewhere and through someone God saved preachers, grandparents, parents, teachers in Sunday school and VBS, aunts, uncles along with friends and neighbors. They testified about their salvation and the heritage of faith continue to spread. Eventually that heritage came to someone close to ou. Someone shared with you the timeless message of Jesus. By faith you repented of sin and trusted Jesus for salvation. With thatHe wrote your name in the Lamb's book of I life.
When I think about all God did to get me to Him I'm humbled. I want to give Him my best and my all. "All to Jesus I surrender - all to Him I freely give..." I hope you want to do the same. May the heritage of our faith continue to be passed on to those after us.
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